Whispers in the Dark
by Phantom Creedy Lover
Summary: Title changed. When Elle Denham was asked to come along to Skull Island, stuck on a ship with a brother she hates and a certain actor who was in love with her, she expected many things. Falling in love wasn't one of them. EnglehornOC
1. Elle

**A/N: Yay, the first chapter of the redo is now up. Hopefully it won't be as cheesy. I don't own King Kong, blah blah blah. I own Elle and the side story going on. Enjoy. **

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_Despite the lies that you're making  
Your love is mine for the taking  
My love is just waiting  
To turn your tears to roses  
I will be the one that's gonna hold you  
I will be the one that you run to  
My love is a burning, consuming fire  
No, You'll never be alone  
When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars  
Hear my whispers in the dark  
- "Whispers in the Dark"- Skillet_

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Elle Denham looked up as her brother came out of the screening room where her brother and a few film producers were in. For starters, she didn't want to be sitting outside- she didn't want to be sitting anywhere near the building. The cutthroat business of film was Carl's thing, not hers. She also wasn't thrilled with how her brother acted where film was concerned. The rare moments where he seemed like he was a decent guy were gone during those moments. All the same, Carl had asked her to come for "moral support", he called it, and for some reason, unknown to her, she agreed. She flinched when she heard Carl throw some names and insults around and flinched. Typical. Now there Carl was in front of her and Carl's assistant, Preston, looking concerned. "Well? What's happening?" She inquired, crossing her legs.

Carl just looked at her briefly before turning to the table that had a glass of water on it. "Gimme that, quick." he ordered.

Elle glanced at the glass, frowning. _Now what did he do? _"Who'd you piss off now? All of them?"She took it and handed it to him all the same.

Preston looked between them, stopping at Elle. "What do you know that I don't?"

Elle beamed and touched Preston's cheek. She liked the young man, she honestly did. Sometimes she wished that he was her little brother as opposed to Carl. Preston actually gave a damn about people's feelings and there was a constant air of innocence about him. "A lot when it comes to Carl, Sweetheart. This is an old tool of the trade-"

"From the film business." Carl cut her off.

"He means from when we were kids and wanted to hear what our parents were arguing about." Elle corrected.

"That too. Now, shush!" Carl dumped the contents of the glass into a nearby plant, then pressed the glass to the door, and then pressed his ear against it. A few seconds later, Carl looked taken aback. He turned to his companions. "Move it. Now. Go go go!" he ordered, grabbing his bags.

Elle groaned. That was the third time Carl dragged her and Preston somewhere, only to make them run in a week. "What'd they say now? Exhile you from the business?"

"Just about, sis." Carl replied, then shoved a bunch of film cans into her and Preston's arms and ran outside. Preston and Elle exchanged looks before hurrying after him. When they got outside he started giving orders, taking huge steps as he made his way across the busy city street. "I want the cast and crew on the ship within the hour."

"An _hour_?" Elle blurted in disbelief. What kind of time was that to get on a ship and go? "Carl are you nuts? What did those guys back there say?" She demanded, running to catch up with him.

Carl ignored her, as he always did when she acted maternal.

"Yeah. Carl, you can't do this!" Preston shook his head. That was another thing Elle loved about the young man- he had his head screwed on right- he knew what was insane and what was reasonable… and how to tell them apart.

"Tell 'em the studio's pressured us into an early departure." Carl replied.

"It's not ethical!" Preston added to his objection.

"That's not all it's not." Elle deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest and arching an eyebrow, only to have Preston push her forward lightly, only so they could keep up with the annoyed director.

"What are they gonna do? Sue me? They can get in line! I'm not going to let them kill my film." Carl told them.

Elle sighed again, continuing to bound after her brother on the busy street. She was annoyed she was actually getting used to these quick escapes. Ever since her father died she had spent most of her time with her brother- and unfortunately that was a good few years now.

Preston passed her to talk to Carl. "You realize none of the camera equipment is on board. We have no permits ... no visas ..." Preston began the long list of what Carl had failed to get in time.

" That's why I have you, Preston." Carl replied.

"We have no insurance, no foreign currency - in fact, we have no currency of any kind-"

"We don't have- Carl you FAILED to tell me that part. We're broke and you're doing a shoot?" Elle growled. Hell, she knew it was stupid getting financially supported by her brother, even slightly. Being a librarian seemed to get trumped by director's assistant, after all.

Carl ignored her yet again, hailing a taxi. "Get in there!" He barked once it had pulled up to the curb. He herded them close to it, then pushed them most of the way in. Preston and Elle winced when they felt themselves being sandwiched into it once Carl climbed in.

"Who's gonna pay for the ship?" Preston asked.

Elle pinched the bridge of her nose. _This isn't going to end well._ As if on cue, one of the men who Carl had been talking to inside the building they had been in practically tackled the cab, taking hold of the open window. "Oh god" Elle hid her face and shook her head, embarrassed. The men were hounding Carl and Carl alone, but now that they saw her and Preston with Carl, they'd be hounded as well.

"Get out of there!" the man yelled, trying to get a fistful of Carl's jacket.

Carl started winding the window shut.

The man let out a yell of pain when it closed on his hand. He barely managed to get his hand out from the window's path before it closed.

"Step on it!" Carl barked to the driver as he sealed the window completely.

Elle shook her head when she heard the man who they had just gotten rid of yelling. Why did she have to be related to Carl? If she hadn't her life would've been so much better… well, maybe she didn't have to go that far, but… would've been less… on the criminal side. It would only be minutes before the producer would call the cops on Carl- that's how it always was.

"Don't worry Preston - I've had a lot of practice at this: I'm real good at crapping the crappers." He smirked, almost maniacally.

Elle groaned, hitting her head on the back of her seat. He could say that again. Hell, that being said, most of her family could be some of those said 'crappers.'

After a while Carl and Preston started making a list of what they needed- needed fast, at that.

"Two dozen of Mr. Walker's finest…" Carl added to the growing by the moment list. "Red label, 80 proof- packed in a crate marked "lemonade"" He considered more for the list, then stopped at another realization. "Tell Maureen – she doesn't have six hours to put on her face. If she wants to be in this picture, she's gotta be on that boat!" he said.

"She doesn't want to be in this picture." Preston said, looking up.

Elle winced yet again as Carl gave him a blank stare.

"Maureen pulled out." Preston explained.

"She pulled out?" Carl asked.

"Yesterday. I told you." Preston said.

Elle sighed. _There we go. He won't remember that at all. Setbacks don't exist in Carl's world._ She tilted her head and waited for his reply, itching to hear what he came up with for an excuse this time around.

"You said we were shooting in Singapore, right? That's what you told her?" Carl asked.

"But we're not shooting in Singapore." Preston pointed out.

Elle wanted to hug him. His innocence was coming through again. The boy couldn't lie. He was too much of a sweetheart sometimes.

"God damn it, Preston! All you had to do is look her in the eye and lie." Carl argued. "I gotta get to a phone ... talk to Harlow's people."

"He's unavailable." Preston frowned.

"Myrna Loy? Clara Bow? Mae West?" Carl went through a list of names.

"Mae West? Good luck getting her into a size four!" Preston argued.

Carl turned to Elle with a thoughtful grin.

Elle stared at him, wondering just what he was plotting- that was, until all the pirces got put together and she realized what he was silently getting at. "Oh no! No way. Not me" Elle shook her head. She wasn't going to become an actress for a single film and deal with Carl bossing her around… simply _directing_, as he put it. She got enough of that off camera.

"But sis-"

"No!" Elle spat. "Do your own dirty work! Plenty of fish in the sea for that! Plenty of bimbos, for that matter!"

Carl didn't seem at all phased by the last bit. He just seemed to register she declined. "Fine. Still gotta find a girl, then…"

"You gotta get a girl who'll fit Maureen's costumes." Preston interjected.

"Fay's a size four!" Carl said, pointing at Preston.

"Yes she is, but she is doing a picture with RKO." Preston frowned and said matter of factly, as if anyone, especially Carl, should've known.

"Cooper huh? I might have known." Carl muttered.

Elle scoffed. He and Cooper had a rivalry of a good many years going. No matter what, anyone that Cooper used in films was permanently off Carl's possible actors and actresses list. She had a feeling that someday, that would come back to bite him."Stop, will ya?" Carl asked the driver as they pulled to familiar ground- the intersection that joined the block with Elle and Preston's apartments as well as Carl's, then someone else's apartment that Elle really didn't want to think about. The cab stopped, and the three of them piled out. Carl was off like a rocket in one direction, once again. Elle and Preston looked at each other, shrugged and followed him. They barely realized he was talking to them until they got about two blocks down and Carl turned to address them.

Preston didn't seem interested in what Carl said. He was Hell-bent on attempting to show Carl how illogical his plan was. "We gotta delay the shoot – shut production down ... We can't sail tonight!" Preston pointed out.

"Not an option." Carl shook his head before continuing on, weaving his way through the crowd of people on the sidewalk.

Preston and Elle exchanged looks before they sighed. "Carl!" they yelled, waiting for some of the crowd to disperse before they continued after him.

"I said I'd find a girl, and I will!" Carl turned to them. "For God sake, Preston - think like a winner. Call Jack ... I need that Goddamn screenplay!" he turned. "Defeat is always momentary." He said. "Elle I need you to make sure Bruce is coming. Hopefully he's loyal enough not to stiff me."

Elle groaned. There was that name she refused to think about before. Bruce "Playbot" Baxter. The guy was in love with her and wouldn't quit with his advances, no matter how much she denied him. Even slapping him didn't work. She had tried… three times. She had settled for ignoring him or shooting him sarcastic remarks any chance she got. To her annoyance, it only encouraged him "How am I supposed to do that? Why am I the one doing it?"

"Because he likes ya, and that's exactly how you're gonna do it."

"What?" Elle tossed her hands out in defeat. How they could be siblings and she never knew how his mind worked, she would never know.

"Keep him interested. Flirt." Carl shrugged.

"What? No way!" Elle shook her head. "The least I need lately is him coming onto me."

"Sis. Do this one thing for me, please? It's not so bad." Carl whined.

Elle laughed. "One thing? Ha, Carl I do EVERYTHING for you, and has he ever invaded your personal space and tried to show off? I doubt that. My bottom line is no."

"…I'll leave you alone for a month. No contact, no favors, no nothin'."

Elle turned to him. "A month?"

Carl grinned that sly fox grin again. He thought he had her. "A month."

Elle pretended to consider it. She knew a month in Carl terms was about a week and a day… if that. She knew in the back of her head he would respect what he said. Maybe not even a week, but at least a couple of days. Even two days without him calling to ask for a favor was nice. "Fine. Deal. I'll get him."

"That's why I love you, sis." Carl replied with a smile.

Elle sent the plastic smile he had right back at him. "I'll be half an hour, getting there, then getting to the docks."

Carl nodded. "Good. See ya then." And with that, he was gone.

Elle looked at Preston, who sent her a sympathetic look before trotting after Carl. She turned on her heels and headed for the more expensive area of the city. "Well, won't this be an adventure…"


	2. A Problem named Bruce

**A/N: Yes I know that in the thirties a woman wouldn't say what Elle is about to say to Bruce to a man, but it just kind of shows what her attitude is like- as well as showing that she hates Bruce.**

"Hey. Elle!" Bruce laughed, chasing after her after she had asked him if he was coming on the ship and he had said he was. He put his arm around her. "I'd love to take ya to dinner"

Elle sighed, stopped in her tracks, and took Bruce's hand, removing it from her shoulder. About to cross the road. "And I'd love to see you get hit by a car, Bruce" she replied. "Listen. I need you to be in front of your place by six, alright? Preston and I will be there to pick you up"

"Got it, hon" Bruce winked.

Elle tried not to scream in annoyance before running across the street and towards the restaurant her brother wanted her to meet him and the possible Maureen at. She walked over to the table she saw her brother and a woman at. "Hello. I'm Elle Denham, his sister" she nodded at Carl.

"Pleased to meet you" the woman smiled. "I'm Ann Darrow"

Elle smiled. "I thought you looked familiar! I've seen you in vaudeville. You're excellent"

"Thank you" Ann blushed.

Carl cut in. "Anyways, back to business. Ann… may I call you Ann?"

Elle sighed, closing her eyes. He was about to ask something very stupid. He always did before he asked about the first name.

"You wouldn't happen to be a size four, by any chance?" Carl asked.

Ann started upwards, putting her fork down.

Elle sighed, covering her face and shaking her head. "Oh god…"

When Carl looked at his sister than saw Ann's reaction he noticed his slip. "No! Oh God, no! You've got me all wrong. Miss Darrow, please! I'm not that type of person at all!"

"He's not!" Elle shook her head frantically, then paused. _Why on earth was she backing him up? He got himself in the hole he should dig himself out. _She shook the thought out of her head, and then smiled at the well-planned, reasonable reply Ann gave.

"What type of person are you?" Ann asked.

"Someone you can trust, Ann. I'm a movie producer" Carl replied.

Elle raised her eyebrow. Like that helps.

"Believe me, I am on the level, no funny business. Please, sit down. Please ... Please." Carl motioned at the chair again.

Ann hesitantly sat down.

Elle glanced at her. She actually sat back down? Well she had the blonde pegged wrong. Maybe she WASN'T as smart as Elle had first thought.

"Ann, I want you to imagine a handsome explorer bound for the Far East" Carl explained.

"You're filming in the far East?" Elle frowned.

Elle glanced at her. _Run while you still can, dang it! You don't know what you're doing… wait a minute? Far East? _She glared at her brother. He was doing it to a poor woman again. _Don't fall for it. _

"Singapore. On board ship he meets a mysterious girl. She's beautiful, fragile… haunted"

Elle glanced at Ann again, wincing when she noticed it looked like she was hooked on the idea.

"She can't escape the feeling that forces beyond her control are compelling her down a road from which she cannot draw back. It's as if her whole life has been a prelude to this moment - this fateful meeting that changes everything. And sure enough, against her better judgement-" Carl began.

"She falls in love," Ann said.

"Yes!" Carl smiled.

"But she doesn't trust it. She's not even sure if she believes in love." Ann continued.

Elle raised her eyebrow. _Okay, yet another change of feelings towards this one. _

"Oh really?" Carl asked.

"If she loves someone… it's doomed" Ann continued with her part.

"Why is that?" Carl asked.

Elle tried not to turn and slap him. He should know the reason- take their father for example. Killed by a German in a previous war. Then again, Carl and their father scarcely spoke to one another. She sighed again and relaxed in her chair.

"Good things never last, Mr. Denham." Elle explained.

"No, they don't" Elle said sadly.

"What was that?" Ann asked gently.

"Hm? Oh. Nothing" Elle blushed.

"So you're interested?" Carl asked.

A few moments later he was already gathering his coat. "That's settled then. I don't want to rush you - but we are under some time pressure here."

"Well I really-" Ann began.

"Ann? I'm telling you, you're perfect -look at you! You're the saddest girl I ever met ... you're gonna make em weep, Ann - you're gonna break their hearts!"

"Carl! Hear her out! Besides, that's not going to turn her towards-" Elle began but Carl clapped his hand over her mouth.

Ann sent a thankful look at Elle before turning back to Carl. "See, that's where you're wrong, Mr. Denham, I make people laugh, that's what I do." She stood up. "Good luck with your picture" she started towards the door.

Elle groaned when Carl chased after her. "Ann! Miss Darrow! Please! I'm offering you money, adventure, fame ... the thrill of a lifetime and a long sea voyage. You wanna read a script? Jack Driscoll's turning in a draft as we speak."

Ann stopped and turned. "Jack Driscoll?"

Carl glanced at her. "Sure. Why - wait! You know him?" Carl asked.

"Well, no - not personally. I've seen his plays." Anne explained.

"What a writer, huh? And let me tell you Ann, Jack Driscoll doesn't want just anyone starring in this picture. He said to me 'Carl, somewhere out there is a girl born to play this role'

Elle frowned. Since when had her friend said that?

"And as soon as I saw you I knew… "Carl faded out.

"Knew what?" Ann asked.

"It was always going to be you" Carl finished.

Elle glanced at Ann. He had done it. Ann was definitely hooked, and there was no going back. Which meant that Elle was going to be going out on a ship. Out on the water- exactly what she had sworn to herself never to do again since her father had taught her everything she knew about sailing, and since he died, surprisingly she wanted to forget everything about him. She sighed, looking at the clock. Six thirty. She started out the door to get part one of her worst trip over. Part one: Getting Bruce.


	3. Getting to Know You

Elle passed a few people as she headed towards the boat. _The faster I move the better the chance Bruce will get lost. _"Carl!" she shouted when she saw her brother glancing at a whole bunch of camera equipment and asking questions to the people holding it.

Carl turned to her. "Ah good. Elle" he looked further back at Bruce. "Why don't you help him with his things?"

"He's a big boy, Carl, he can-"

"Elle" Carl warned, then walked over to Preston when he called him over.

Elle groaned and went back over to Bruce. "Here" she offered, taking one of his luggage.

"Thanks Elle" Bruce smiled.

Elle smiled falsely at him. _At least he didn't call me hon again or anything…_

"Guys, get on the boat. Time to go" Carl told them, heading towards the ship. "Englehorn! Cast off! Hoist up the mainsail. Raise the anchor, whatever the hell it is you do. We gotta leave."

Elle went over to her brother and the captain.

Englehorn opened his mouth to respond but Elle cut in.

"He can't do that yet. He has to get the manifest" she said.

Englehorn nodded.

"The what? I'm left out here. I don't speak sailor" Carl replied.

"Paperwork" both Englehorn and Elle said.

Englehorn glanced at Elle, impressed she was a woman that seemed to know a bit about sailing.

"I'll give you another thousand to leave right now." Carl offered.

The captain sighed. "You haven't given me the first thousand yet"

Elle looked over the captain, unsure of what to think. He was tall, seemed annoyed- which Carl not paying him could be the cause of- he was also covered in dirt, which could also have to do with him being on the ship for a long time, and**-** her thoughts were cut off when she heard him talking to Ann.

"It isn't every woman who would take such a risk." Englehorn told Ann, then glanced at Elle, showing he meant the warning to her as well.

Elle wasn't paying attention. She was staring at him, more likely glaring at him. He was German. The nationality of the man that had killed her father. She made up her mind. She HATED him from that point on.

"Why don't I show Miss Darrow to her cabin?" Preston asked quickly.

"Wonderful idea, thank you, Preston." Carl nodded. "Sis, why don't you come on the ship now, hm?" Carl offered.

With one final glare at Englehorn, Elle nodded and followed Ann.

Englehorn watched the women go up the gangplank then looked back at Carl. "Two women, Denham? Two women you failed to tell me were coming?"

"I thought I did" Carl blinked.

"You didn't" Englehorn replied.

"Uh… right" Carl nodded, then got onto the ship as quickly as possible.

A few minutes later Elle and Carl had gone into Carl's cabin.

Carl jumped slightly, seeing Jack Driscoll.** "**Jesus, Jack - you scared me!"

"Jack!" Elle exclaimed happily.

"Elle!" Jack smiled, hugging his friend. "Carl why didn't you tell me Elle was coming with you?" he asked.

Carl shrugged. "I dunno." His facial expression changed as he went across the room and into a cabinet, taking a small crate out. "Listen, if anyone comes to the door, don't open it. You haven't seen me ... say I got depressed and committed suicide. Say I stuck my head down the toilet!"

Elle blinked. Her brother had said some odd things over the years but that was now one of the weirdest.

"Want one?" Carl offered Jack a drink.

"No! I can't stay, Carl. I have a rehearsal for which I am now ..." Jack stole a glance at his watch. "... Three hours late for" he handed a few papers to Elle to hand to Carl.

"What's this?" Carl asked

"It's the script." Jack said.

Elle nodded. It was pretty quick to have SOMETHING.

"This is a script? Jack ... this is fifteen pages." Carl pointed out.

"I know - but they're good! You've got fifteen good pages there, Carl!" Jack replied.

"I'm supposed to be making a feature length picture" Carl said.

"Carl, at least he has something. I wouldn't!" Elle argued.

"Yes you would! You're a great writ-" Jack was cut off this time, with Elle's hand over his mouth.

She sent him a look and mouthed 'I'm trying to help you'

Jack shook his head and moved her hand. "You told me I had more time. I'm sorry. Look I gotta go."

"Jack – No. You can't do this to me! I have a beginning but I need a middle and an end! I gotta have something to shoot." Carl argued.

Elle groaned and went to leave, then she stumbled slightly when the ship's engines started. "Hey Jack if you wanna leave I suggest you do it pronto"

Carl glared at her, then looked back at Jack.

"You got my notes - I gotta go. See you." Jack stood up.

Elle looked between the two men, then looked out onto the deck as the Venture's crew scrambled to release the ropes tying the ship to the dock

"Alright, fine. We might as well settle up." Carl shrugged.

"You're going to pay me?" Jack asked.

"I'm not going to stiff a friend." Carl replied, pulling out his checkbook.

Elle glanced at him. Hadn't he just said that he was going to pay the captain? He was going to be in debt in no time flat.

" I've never known you to volunteer cash before ..." Jack smiled.

So did Elle. That was true.

"How does two grand sound?" Carl asked.

"Sounds great!" Jack beamed.

"Thought it might." Carl smirked. He scribbled something on the check and handed it to Jack. "Voila!"

"Thanks. See ya, Elle" Jack waved at her, taking it.

"Bye" Elle smiled.

Jack stopped. "Uh, Carl ... you've written 'Two Grand'"

Carl took the check back. "So I did ... Sorry about that" he ripped the check up.

Elle suddenly realized what Carl was trying to do. "Carl" she warned.

"What?" Carl smiled at her innocently before looking back at the check. "Two Thousand Dollars…It is the 29th, isn't it?"

"It's the 25th, Carl!" Elle and Jack replied rather shortly.

"I'm sorry. Let me just ... It'll just take a second"

"Carl!" Jack and Elle shouted.

Jack sighed. "Never mind, pay me when you get back!"

"Alright ... okay ..." Carl shrugged.

Jack just shook his head and ran out of the room.

"Nice going!" Elle sat down.

Carl smiled. "I know. That's me for ya"

"I wish it wasn't" Elle frowned.

"Once again, sister: Get… in… line. Get in line" he repeated with a smile and nod.

Elle sighed. This was DEFINITLY going to be a long trip-and Bruce hadn't even started with her yet.


	4. Not All Germans Are Bad

"Jack!" Elle yelled, yelping when her attempt at making a short stop failed and she slammed into the ship's railing. _Ow. I'm definitely going to talk to Lumpy about getting the crew so make sure the deck was dry after they swabbed it… then again, maybe it would be better to talk to Jimmy about it. He seems to be more of a people person. _"Jack!" I repeated, gripping the railing so she didn't go over it from hitting it so hard.

"Goddammit!" Jack yelled. He turned around

"Sorry." Elle looked down.

"What're you sorry for, Elle? Your brother's the idiot who made me late"

"Speaking of Carl" Elle nodded at Carl coming towards them.

"I keep telling you, Jack, there's no money in theatre."

They all turned when they heard one of the investors from before yelling.

Elle blinked. "What was that about?"

"Uh… nothin'" Carl shrugged, then turned back to Jack. "You're much better off sticking with film.

"I don't do it for the money, Carl. I happen to love the theatre." Jack explained.

"No, you don't. If you really loved it, you would have jumped." Carl raised his eyebrows.

Elle sighed, bringing her hand to her face and shaking her head. _Why me? Why a Denham? Why did my father have to die? _

"Now, Elle. I gotta go see Ann and Preston about something. Why don't you explore a bit?"

"Fine" Elle sighed, crossing her arms as the three went their separate ways. "How am I supposed to 'explore'? Half the guys on this ship are way too creepy for my liking and-"

"I hope I'm not one of that half"

Elle let out a yelp and whirled around to see Jimmy jump down from somewhere. She smiled. "Oh, Jimmy. You scared me"

"Sorry" Jimmy smiled back. "You know, you're and your brother aren't alike at all. You're a lot nicer… and in my opinion smarter"

"Well, I second that, and to answer your statement, no, you aren't part of that half"

"Who is?" Jimmy asked.

Elle glanced up at the cabin where Hayes and Englehorn were.

"The captain? Mr. Hayes?" Jimmy stared at her, his jaw dropping.

"No, Not Hayes. Hayes is a very good man. The captain, on the other hand…"

"What's wrong with the captain? He's barely even spoken to you… is that why?" he blinked.

"What? No. It's… My brother and I… well, because of something that happened… we're not to fond of Germans, now… well, at least I'm not"

Jimmy shook his head. "I'm Sorry Miss Denham but I don't think that's a way to judge someone, just if they're German"

Elle smiled. "You don't?"

"No. Well, once again sorry but I don't think that's a good way at all" Jimmy shook his head.

"Well than, I'll try to be friendly to him for you, Jimmy. Thanks" Elle smiled.

"Sure" Jimmy got up and nodded.

Carl came out of one of the rooms, then shoved a rather large suitcase into her arms. "Can you put this back in our room? Thanks"

"Our room?" Elle smirked.

"My room, yeah yeah sorry 'bout the cage thing" Carl turned onhis heel.

Elle sighed. "Stubborn, stuck up idiot the-" she turned and lost her footing yet again, starting to fall forward until an arm went around her wait so sturdy her and another took the suitcase before it fell. She turned to see the captain right behind her, his arm sill around her waist. "Captain" she greeted, trying not to blush furiously.

"Miss Denham" he nodded, letting go of her.

"Thanks" Elle smiled weakly, still not sure of what to do.

Englehorn nodded again, then got a better hold on the suitcase in his other hand. "Shall we?"

"What?" Elle asked.

Englehorn smiled. "Take this to your brother's room"

"Oh, Right, sure" Elle nodded, leading the way.

When they had finally got it situated in the room, Englehorn turned to Elle after their short conversation they had on the way. "You know, You are nothing like your brother, Miss Denham"

Elle smiled. "So I've heard"

"From?"

"Jimmy, captain"

Englehorn nodded. "Well, he may have his own reasons but… how is it that you two are so different? In both of your manners, your behavior… interests?"

"Our parents seprated when we were very young. Carl went with my mother as I went with my father. Carl got into directing since my mother was in show business, and before my father was in the war, he sailed a lot, then taught me everything he knew about sailing, which is why I know a lot about boats and ships… it wasn't until my father died in the war reunited.

"…I'm sorry about your father" Englehorn looked to the floor then looked out onto the sea. "What war was he in?"

"World War One." Elle replied. _Don't say it. It's going to insult him. He's not that bad after all. Don't say it._"By a German soldier on the other side" Elle winced after saying it, then noticed Englehorn's expression changed more, more into guilt for her, then he stopped, looking like he had an idea. "Was your father Gustave Denham, by any chance?"

Elle's head snapped in his direction. "Yes. Yes. That was his name… you knew him?"

"I was in that war WITH him. I was under his Regiment" Englehorn explained.

Elle's jaw dropped. "You were?"

"He was a good man." Englehorn nodded. "Saved my life many times"

"But… he was killed by a German… how could you-"

"Not all Germans were on one side, Miss Denham"

Elle slowly smiled, all the hatred towards the captain melted away in that moment. "It's Elle."

"Hm?" Englehorn glanced at her.

"My name. It's Elle"

Englehorn smiled. "Ah. Well, I believe I should return to the cabin. Good night, Elle"

"Good night, captain"

Englehorn paused, turning to her. "It's Dustin" he smiled, using her approach.

Elle smiled. She had never heard of a German with the name of Dustin, but it fit him. "Good night, Dustin"


	5. Absolutely Nothing

The next morning Elle sat up when she heard her name being called. She smiled when she realized it was Ann calling her. "I'm down here, Ann. I'll be right up" she went up the stairs and was greeted by a beaming Ann.

"Hello Elle"

"Hi Ann. You called?"

"Um… yes. This may seem awkward but I need you to do something…"

"What?" Elle asked.

"I need you to be your friend Jack Driscoll for a bit. You see, I'm a big fan of his, and I'm supposed to meet him today and-"

Elle smiled. "Let me guess. You want to practice with me so you don't make a fool of yourself?"

Ann blushed. "Well, yes"

Elle smiled. "Think nothing of it, Ann. I actually get that a lot"

"You do?"

"Yeah. Now, let's see what you can come up with for a greeting" Elle clapped her hands once before leaning back on one of the benches on the deck.

Ann smiled. "Alright." She stepped forward, brandishing one of Jack's screenplays, Isolation. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Driscoll- I'm actually quite familiar with your work- no, that's not it" Ann looked away.

"That was fine!" Elle cut in.

"Can I try again?"

"Of course you can! I'm not stopping you"

"Okay…Oh yes! ... Hello, Mr. Driscoll - it's nice to meet you! Actually, I'm quite familiar with your work. I'm a huge fan…I've read everything you've ever written." Her smile faded and she looked around.

Elle sighed. "Ann, look at me"

Ann obeyed.

"Ann, you're a wonderful woman. You're gonna meet Jack and everything's going to be just fine"

"You really think so?" Ann smiled

"No. You told me to be Jack and that's something he would say"

Ann frowned.

Elle laughed. "Of course I think so!"

Ann smiled and sighed in relief. "You scared me for a moment"

Elle grinned. "Join the club, Ann, join the club" she hated using any phrase her brother did, but that time it just fit. She glanced at the clock. "Oh! The boys must be down below having lunch or talking about the film… so… you ready to meet Jack?"

Ann looked down. "As I'll ever be"

"Then c'mon!" Elle grabbed the other blonde's hand and led her down below deck to where Lumpy, Carl, Herb, Jack, Mike and Preston were. "Hello boys" she took a seat between Mike and Herb.

"Hi Elle" they all smiled.

"Ah, Ann. Good timing. Come in I want you to meet the crew" Carl ushered her in. "This is Herb, our camera man" he motioned at Herb, who shook Ann's hand.

"Delighted to meet you, ma'am. And may I say what a lovely dress." Herb said with a warm smile.

"Oh! This old thing! I just - threw it on!" Ann replied.

"Isn't that one of Maureen's costumes?" Preston looked at Carl.

Ann cut in quickly. **"**What does a girl have to do round here to get some breakfast!"

"Lumpy! You heard the lady!" Carl said. "Hey Elle, you want somethin?"

Elle looked at Lumpy who was stirring the 'porridge' and shaving a sailor's beard at the same time. "Uh… no, I'll uh… pass"

"Actually same. I'm not that hungry after all" Ann nodded.

"More time for introductions" Carl nodded. He looked at Mike. "Ann, I don't believe you've met-"

Ann cut him off just by opening her mouth for a moment.

Elle raised her eyebrow. _This woman KNOWS when she wants to get a point across._

"That's alright Mr. Denham, I know who this is" Ann looked at Mike again.

Elle looked between the two. _She does?_

"Thrilled to meet you. It's an honour to be part of this." Ann smiled.

"Gee, thanks!" Mike grinned.

"Actually - I am quite familiar with your work." Ann continued.

Mike looked from Elle who shrugged back to Ann. "Really?"

"Yes, and what I most admire is the way you have captured the voice of the people."

"Well, that's my job." Mike chuckled slightly.

"I'm sure you've heard this before, Mr. Driscoll…"

Elle quickly jumped up behind Mike, waving her hand horizontally at the middle of her neck mouthing 'No' to Ann, then pointed down at Mike and mouthed it again.

Ann didn't seem to notice and continued. "If you don't mind me saying you… don't look at all like your photograph..." Ann faded out.

Mike looked down. "Excuse me?"

"Wait a minute! Ann-" Carl cut in.

**Ann turned to Carl. "**Well, he's so much younger in person and much better looking…"

"Ann!" Carl and Elle hissed, now seeing Jack coming up behind the group with an amused smirk playing at his lips, apparently reading.

**Anne didn't catch the hint and continued. **"I was afraid you might be one of those self obsessed literary types. You know, the tweedy twerp with his nose in a book and his head up his-"

Elle winced, waiting for whatever bad thing was going to happen. She opened one of her eyes when she heard a book shut, looking at Ann again who was now looking at the real Jack Driscoll. _Oh god. _

"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Darrow" Jack smiled fakely.

Elle blinked. "I uh… think I'm gonna go see if any of the crew need mme up there…" she ran up the stairs, colliding with Jimmy who was laughing.

The younger boy helped her up and said a quick apology before continuing to laugh.

"Jimmy what is it?" Elle asked.

"Do you like Bruce or not?"

"I'll like him in his dreams… literally" Elle added the last part after she blinked and thought about it for a moment.

"Then-" Jimmy pointed to Bruce's cabin and started laughing again.

Elle looked at him, a smile now forming on her own face. Looked in Bruce's room to see all his posters were drawn on, giving him fangs, beards, a mustache, you name it. She turned back to Jimmy. "Did you-"

Jimmy nodded with a smile.

Elle started laughing as well until she heard Bruce coming. She looked at Jimmy. "Go!" she squealed, the two making a run for it, sure that Bruce wasn't going to be happy. They ran to the other side of the ship before laughing more.

Englehorn came out of the wheelhouse. "What are you two doing?" he asked.

"Nothing" the two said innocently.

Elle felt something being put into her hands which were behind her back as well as Jimmy's. It took her a moment to realize the boy was actually attempting to put the marker in her hands. She turned to him, playfully glaring at him.

They looked back at Englehorn. "Absolutely nothing" they nodded.

Englehorn couldn't help but smile, knowing they were up to something. "As long as you two don't do any damage to this ship go do your mischief, and don't cause any of my crew trouble either, though Elle I see you've already done that to the youngest member" he looked at Jimmy.

Elle threw her arm around the boy's shoulder as he did the same with her waist. "Yes sir!" they said before running off and laughing again.

The captain sighed, moving back towards the wheelhouse.

Hayes came out. "What was that about? What were those two laughing at?" he asked.

"Nothing" Englehorn shrugged.

Bruce came out of one of the hallways below. "Hey fellas, which one of you had that marker and drew on all of my movie posters? THAT WAS BRILLIANT!"

Englehorn held back the urge to laugh, realizing that must've been what the two had been laughin about. Well, Bruce deserved it was his guess. He didn't like the actor from the start.

Hayes frowned at Englehorn, seeing him smile.

"Absolutely nothing"


	6. Keeping in Mind

"Jack do you want anything? Are you alright?" Elle frowned, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder, being that he looked like he was about to get sick.

"No. I'm fine," Jack shook his head, then looked back at Carl from his previous comment. "That's assuming she knows who the First Mate is,"

"Aw, Jack, c'mon!" Elle sighed. "Would you give it a rest? She's a good person, give her a chance!"

"Yeah! It was an honest mistake. Ann is near-sighted – it could happen to anyone," Carl nodded.

"I was joking, Carl," Jack shook his head.

"No you weren't" Elle muttered.

Jack elbowed her lightly.

"The point is: she's horrified. She has to look away. And that's when she sees it." Carl said, a look of inspiration growing on his face.

Jack and Elle exchanged looks. "Sees what? What?" they asked.

Elle tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, in the process seeing Jimmy a few feet away, not seen by Jack or Carl.

Noticing she saw him, Jimmy motioned for her to be quiet.

She looked away. The kid had every right to know what was going on.

"The island," Carl continued.

Jack looked at Carl, confused. "We're filming on an island now? When did this happen?"

Carl shook his head. "Jack, keep your voice down! I don't want the crew getting spooked,"

"Why would they get spooked?" Elle tilted her head.

Jack nodded. "Your sister took the words right outta my mouth. Why? What's it called?"

Elle noticed Jimmy trying to get closer. She moved in front of him so he wouldn't be seen.

"All right ... It has a local name, but I'm warning you, Jack, it doesn't sound good…They call it ..." he leaned towards Jack and muttered the name.

Elle frowned, glaring at him.

Her brother simply shrugged at her.

She slid off the crate she was on and started leaving, taking Jimmy aside with her. "Stay here for a few seconds. We both want to hear it, chances are we're not going to hear it out loud until I'm not in view,"

Jimmy nodded.

Both of them turned down the hallway then stopped, listening carefully.

They heard Jack's voice now, accompanied by the sound of the typewriter. "S ... k ... u ...l…l Island"

Elle and Jimmy stared at each other.

Jimmy swallowed.

"Move!" Elle ordered.

Jimmy obeyed.

"Where's Hayes?" Elle demanded when they had gotten up on deck.

"Right here. What is it?" Hayes asked.

Elle nodded at the man, then Jimmy. "You tell him. I'm gonna go check on Ann,"

Jimmy nodded and took Hayes aside as Elle turned and left.

After a while, Elle found Ann and Bruce rehearsing and Carl already filming. She took a seat behind Jack.

Ann leaned forward, getting into character. "I think this is awfully exciting! I've never been on a ship before,"

"I've never been on one with a woman before," Bruce replied.

"I guess you don't think much of women on ships, do you?" Ann asked.

"No, they're a nuisance," Bruce replied.

"Well, I'll try not to be,"

"Just being around is trouble,"

"Well! Is that a nice thing to say?"

"It's a dangerous thing, having girls on ships. They're messy and they're unreliable!"

Elle looked back at Jack to see what he thought, but there was something else in his eyes. She looked at Ann, then back at him, smiling. SOMEONE had a little crush.

"Cut! Great!" came Carl's voice, breaking her off from her thoughts. He looked over at Jimmy who was still talking to Hayes.

Elle noticed this and stepped in front of him, blocking the view yet again, but she soon realized Carl had already seen them anyway. She returned to her spot next to Jack.

Carl looked away. "Bruce, wonderful performance. You can relax for ten minutes. That was very natural... I felt moved,"

"What?!" Jack blurted, nearly tripping over Elle.

Elle supported him. "You know my brother. He's a jerk at times,"

"_At times_?" Jack frowned at her.

Elle shrugged at Jack as Bruce passed.

"What do you think, Driscoll? The dialogue's got some flow now, huh?" Bruce smiled.

"It was pure effluence," Jack replied coldly.

"Beefed up the banter," Bruce said.

"Try to resist that impulse." Jack replied.

"It's just a little humor, Bud – what are you, a Bolshevik or something?" Bruce frowned at him.

"He's saying you're an idiot, Bruce," Elle glared at him. "Go with what he said- imagine me as Ann,"

"I'll keep that in mind," Bruce winked at her before walking off.

Jack sighed. "Actors. They travel the world but all they ever see is a mirror,"

"You said that right," Elle shook her head.

Elle and Jack looked up at Ann who looked devastated, a compact mirror in her hand.

"Oh" both of them blinked.

Ann shut the compact and walked away.

Elle snorted after a while. "Nice!"

"Yeah… er… See ya later. Okay?" Jack touched her shoulder.

Elle nodded and watched Jack leave.

She headed towards the bow of the ship.

"That must've been embarrassing,"

"What?" Elle looked up and smiled when she saw Dustin leaning on the rail looking down at her, a smirk growing on his face.

"More for Jack than me," Elle replied.

Dustin nodded. "I would imagine. But she is more of your friend, is she not?"

Elle smiled. She had hated Germans less than a week ago and now she was starting to love them just for the sake of that accent. "True" she nodded.

Dustin leaned over the railing more, watching Bruce walk off. "Are you and your husband having trouble?" he asked.

Elle practically twitched. "My what?" she looked in the direction Dustin nodded in a moment later. "Bruce?!" she pretty much shrieked, then looked back at the captain and burst out laughing. "Him?! Me?! Oh God, no!" she laughed harder. "I wouldn't marry that _thing_ if he was the last man on Earth, and I really mean that,"

"You fight like you are," Dustin pointed out.

"Then Carl and I have been married since our teens,"

Dustin shrugged. "Good point," he moved upright slightly and his mood changed. "Now, Elle. I was wondering… the crew has been speaking of an island that your brother plans to go to… do you know anything about it?"

"I wish I knew more, Captain. I only know they keep calling it Skull Island,"

Dustin glared playfully at her.

She smiled. "I don't know much about it, _Dustin_,"

Dustin smiled and nodded. "If you find anything out…"

"I'll be sure to let you know,"

Dustin nodded and went into the wheelhouse.

**That evening:**

Elle smiled as Ann came running to the bow, gripping the railing and moving her head. She didn't know what it was about the blonde woman, but Elle just enjoyed watching her acting. Maybe it was the fact that her acting was different than everyone else's she had met. Maybe it was because Elle had started to see Ann as a good friend instead of acquaintance. Maybe it was- she noticed Ann's expression change, then also noticed she was looking at something. Sh turned in the direction Ann was looking to see Jack. She smiled, looking at her brother who was also seeing the moment between the two adults, and he was less excepting. He took the script from Jack and shooed him away.


	7. Skating on Thin Ice

**elvespiratesandcowboysohmy****: You didn't 'bring me down' and you weren't 'a party pooper at all (Hehe I love that phrase. Glad to see it hasn't become extinct yet). Actually, there will be about three little moments (The main one being when the group gets to skull island) that you'll see despite everything Elle is loyal to and cares for Carl.**

"Hey Carl Jack needs to see-" Elle went into the wheelhouse to get her brother, only to find him and the captain in a glaring match. "Err… should I come back later?"

"No, Elle" Carl shook his head. "Do me a favor and tell Englehorn here he should keep going even if it seems like there's nowhere to go on the map"

Dustin sighed. "There's nothing out there."

"Then you've nothing to lose." Carl replied, then looked back at Elle. "Tell 'em"

"Sorry little brother. I'm with the captain on this one. I don't see anything on that map I don't see a point of even being here"

Carl frowned at her.

Dustin smirked.

Unfortunately, Carl noticed. "You think this is funny, forcing two siblings against each other?"

Dustin's smirk grew. "Denham, remember I'm not the one that started this"

"Oh, right" Carl glared at him before walking away.

Dustin watched him before turning back to Elle. "That was… interesting"

"Try being stuck with it since childhood, captain" she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not easy"

"But it must have it's advantages sometimes"

"Very few times, yes" Elle replied with a smile. "When the day's though you know he's always there"

Dustin smiled, then frowned when he saw Carl come in behind them.

"Sorry to break up the happy conversation here but I need my sis back. thanks bye" Carl said in one breath, dragging Elle out of the wheelhouse.

"No problem" Dustin shook his head and looked back at the horizon, crossing his arms and smiling, shaking his head. Carl and Elle were even more of a handful than Jimmy and Elle. Personally, he was actually dreading what havoc either duo would cause.

**---**

Elle looked around the room uncomfortably. Her brother and Preston were talking quietly, and so were Lumpy and Hayes, but separately. She didn't like being in the literal middle of the room between the two parties. She moved to the side just as Hayes approached Preston and Denham, almost in a rehearsed fashion.

"If someone were to tell you this ship is headed for Singapore, what would you say?"

"I would say they was full of it, Mr. Hayes. We turned south-west last night." Lumpy replied.

Elle shifted. She definitely didn't like where this was going. "Carl…" she murmured.

Carl looked from Elle to Hayes and Lumpy. "Gentlemen please, we're not looking trouble"

Jimmy walked into the room. "No. You're looking for something else"

Elle sent him a proud look. It was about time he took a stand.

Carl looked at everyone in the room. **"**Yes ... we are. We're gonna find Skull Island! We're gonna find it, film it and show it to the world. For twenty five cents you get to see the last blank space on the map"

Lumpy looked at Carl. "I wouldn't be so sure of that"

"What do you mean?" Preston asked.

"Right. And why do I have a feeling that the story behind the statement isn't that good?" Elle asked.

"It ain't for any lady's ears, either way, so maybe you should leave" Lumpy frowned.

Elle scoffed. "Think again" she slid back further on the crate she was on.

Jimmy nodded and sat down next to her. "Good for you standing up for yourself" he whispered when he noticed all the other men were just staring at each other.

"You too. It takes a lot of guts to be so bold as to say what you just did to my brother" Elle whispered back.

Jimmy smiled and nodded, looking back at Lumpy who started talking again.

"Seven years ago, me and Mr Hayes- we were working our passage on a Norwegian barque." He began.

"We picked up a castaway - found him in the water - he'd been drifting for days." Hayes continued.

Elle looked at Jimmy as if to ask if it was him.

Jimmy shook his head and nodded at the men again.

Elle looked back at them.

"His ship had run aground on an island, way West of Sumatra. An island hidden in fog. He spoke of a huge wall, built so long ago - no one knew who had made it... A wall a hundred foot high ... as strong today as it was, ages ago."

"Why did they build the wall?" Preston asked.

There was a long silence until lumpy broke it, continuing with the tale. "The castaway - he spoke of a creature, neither beast nor man, but something monstrous, living behind that wall..."

Carl snorted. "A lion or a tiger. A man-eater. That's all these stories start."

Elle shook her head. She was right about what she had spoken to Dustin about. Having him as a brother was an advantage definitely only very few times.

"What else did he say?" Preston asked.

Lumpy looked at Elle, unsure if to continue.

She just crossed her arms. "We're listening"

Lumpy shrugged. "Nothing. We found him the next morning…he'd stuck a knife through his heart."

"Oh god" Elle muttered, suddenly feeling sick. The day she decides to disagree with Lumpy was the day she should've agreed. Perfect.

Lumpy looked at her with what seemed like a victorious smirk growing on his face.

Jimmy glared at him and put his arm around Elle.

"Sorry fellas, you'll have to do better than that. Monsters belong in B movies!"

"Oh come ON Carl!" Elle shook her head.

"Hm" her brother replied. "Preston" he beckoned, making for the door.

"If you find this place…" Hayes trailed off.

Preston and Carl turned around.

"If you go ashore with your friends and your cameras ... you won't come back... Just so long as you understand that."

"Heh" Elle let out a small laugh, more of a nervous, disbelieving laugh then anything.

That evening:

Elle looked up when she saw Jimmy coming at her. She smiled at him and the wide grin he had plastered on his face, probably due to the little party that the crew was having with Choy and a few others singing.

"Hey, you dance?" he asked.

"Me, oh no" she laughed, shaking her head.

"C'mon" Jimmy grabbed her hand.

"Jimmy, no!" Elle laughed again. "If I get out there it's not gonna be pretty"

"Then let's make this place ugly" Jimmy said, yanking her off the crate she was sitting on and dragging her over to Ann who was enjoying herself dancing.

Defeated, Elle smiled and started dancing with the other two who had already been, unaware of the captain watching her from a distance, an amused smile growing on his face.

"Captain?"

"Hm?" Dustin turned to Hayes, who he was surprised to see was actually smiling at him, knowing exactly what he was doing. "You can do that later. We have to set course"

Dustin nodded. "Right" he went into the wheelhouse and looked over the map, still slightly embarrassed he had gotten caught.

Back by the bow the three friends who were dancing had finally stopped.

Jimmy nudged Elle. "Is it just me or do you think Jack likes Miss Darrow?"

Elle smiled. "It's about time someone noticed that but me"

Jimmy chuckled. "Well, good. And that's not the only thing I noticed, either"

"What are you saying?" Elle tilted her head.

Jimmy glanced back at the wheelhouse, only to see Dustin wasn't there any more. "Uh… is it just me or does the sunset look a lot better on a ship?" he wasn't going to tell Elle that the captain had been watching her the whole time if he wasn't there for proof.

"You can't be any more truthful than that, Jimmy" Elle replied.

"Hm" Jimmy nodded. "I guess so"


	8. Understanding

Dustin looked back at Elle and smiled at her back turned away from him, amused with the fact she was still ranting about Carl being good at times and annoying at others. For the past three days Carl was about all they talked about. It was actually amusing, hearing about the sibling's past- the stupid things Carl had done when he was young was eleven better hearing about since he had a general dislike for the man in the first place- as a matter of fact, the only person in Denham's crew he could stand was Elle- with the acceptation of that older man Herb since they hadn't spoken whatsoever.

"I mean, as much as he can get annoying… he is my brother and he does come through for me a lot… he was the only one who really came through whatsoever when our parents split… and we lost our little brother"

Dustin looked at her with a raised eyebrow, torn from his thoughts. "You two had a younger brother?"

"Yes. Quite younger, actually… I barely remember him though- it was that long ago we lost him…"

Englehorn frowned, sad to see her like that. He looked up when the ship's radio operator came into the wheelhouse. "Message for you, Captain."

Englehorn took it and read it.

"What does it say?" Elle asked when she saw his expression change instantly.

He looked back up at her; all the interest and care in his eyes moments before, replaced with what Elle thought seemed like hurt.

"What does it say?"

"Go look for your brother. _Now_" he ordered.

Elle blinked, surprised at his tone but then decided that if he had that one in the first place she had better obey than stand there. She turned and went down the flight of stairs. "Carl!" she called.

No response.

She noticed the ship was beginning to turn around. _Well that's odd. Why is he turning when we need to keep going straight?_

"Elle! Elle, what's going on?"

Elle turned to see Carl coming towards her. "I don't know. The captain sent me back here to look for you"

"C'mon," Carl motioned for her to follow them. They went back upstairs and into the wheelhouse. "What's going on?" he demanded, then looked at Hayes, being that Dustin wasn't there anymore. "Hayes! Why are we turning around?"

Elle stepped aside when Dustin came up behind her.

Carl turned to him "Englehorn, you can't just-"

"Outside" Dustin barked, then looked at Elle. "Both of you,"

She frowned, looking at him. There was more in his eyes than hurt when he looked at her now, but why? She and Carl followed Dustin outside.

The German gripped the ship's railing before looking back at them, but Carl, more than her. "There's a warrant out for your arrest. Did you know that? I've been ordered to divert to Rangoon"

"What?!" Elle stared at him. "A warrant? Carl what didn't you tell me?" she whirled on her brother.

"There's also one out for you, Miss. Denham" Dustin frowned.

"Me?!" Elle turned back to Dustin. "Why?"

"Same reasons as your brother"

Elle glared at Carl. "You have ten seconds to explain or I'm throwing you overboard,"

"It doesn't matter, Elle. I'd have to turn around even with your warrant" Dustin replied.

Elle looked back at Dustin. "I don't believe- but- I- Carl-" she shut her mouth, completely shocked. She didn't know what else to do.

Carl looked at Dustin. "Another week - I haven't got a film yet. Please - I have risked everything I have on this"

Dustin shook his head. "No, Denham - you risked everything I have"

Elle felt like her stomach was in knots. It couldn't get more true than that. "You're right. Turn us around. We can't do this to you"

Dustin looked back at her. "At least you're agreeing even if you had no clue that there was a warrant"

Elle looked at his facial expression. Sarcasm. Great. "What? You think I knew about this? I'm hearing this for the first time now just like you!" Elle blurted, glaring at him, now.

"I thought the same with your brother before. I thought he was just… difficult. Now if I can't trust him, how can I trust you?" he demanded.

Elle's jaw dropped, barely believing what she was hearing. "How DARE you?! I'm telling you the truth, you know. I told you that I don't support my brother's choices-"

Carl cut her off. "Elle, just stop. Englehorn, what do you want? Tell me what you want. I'll give you anything." Carl shook his head.

Dustin sighed. "I want you off my ship. You, your sister and crew," he went back inside the wheelhouse.

Carl looked back at Elle who was now glaring at him. "Elle, I had no clue-"

Elle scoffed. "Had no clue? Get a different excuse, Carl! I put up with this almost every time you're in trouble, and I stand by you the whole time. I don't want to, but I do. But this time, it's too much. I have a warrant out for my arrest because I'm with you? Don't go looking for my help anymore, Carl, because when we get home, I'm walking out of your life and going to try and find our brother"

"Our brother's as good as dead, Elle!" Carl snapped.

"I refuse to believe that" Elle shook her head.

"Then you're insane" Carl glared at her.

"You should talk, little brother," Elle growled before walking away. She sat down on one of the crates and stared out on the water for a few minutes, just thinking to herself.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Elle turned to see Jack. "Oh. Hi"

Jack sat down next to her. "I heard what happened. You must be ready to kill Carl,"

"_Ready_ is an understatement, Jack. If he crosses my path once on this trip I'm gonna kill him hands down," Elle crossed her arms and clenched her jaw.

Jack laughed. "Join the club" he shook his head. "I feel bad for you, being stuck with him all your life."

"I'm glad someone feels my pain" Elle smiled back.

Jack hugged her.

Elle smiled back at him again before seeing something in the distance. "Hey- what's that?"

"What?" Jack asked.

"That" Elle pointed at something standing out in the fog that had suddenly rolled in.

Jack squinted. "I don't know. Maybe it's a couple of-"

"Thirty fathoms ... no bottom!" both of them heard one of the crew yell.

Elle looked at Jack. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. C'mon" he got up and nodded at her to follow him.

"We have seabed!" the crewmember yelled, a couple of moments later he continued with "Twenty-five fathoms!"

Jack and Elle looked at each other again. That wasn't good. They were shallowing… fast.

"Elle go up to the wheelhouse. See what's going on," Jack said.

Elle nodded and did just that, really not wanting to after what happened earlier. When she reached the wheelhouse, nearly colliding with Hayes who was running back and forth frantically. "What's going on?" she asked Dustin.

He put his hand up to silence her for a moment, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "Douse the lights!" he ordered the crewmember behind him.

"Aye captain" he crewmember did as he was told.

Dustin spared a quick glance at Elle before looking through the window again "Everything's going wrong. The fog is thickening, I can't get our position, and the water's shallowing," he finally answered Elle's question.

"Ten fathoms!" the crewmember yelled again.

Elle noticed Dustin swallow hard, then exchange quick looks with her yet again when they heard Jimmy.

"Wall! There's a wall ahead!"

Both Dustin and Elle whipped their heads forward yet again, looking on in disbelief as sure enough a huge wall came into view.

Dustin started spinning the wheel frantically. "Stop engines!"

Hayes did the order, then looked at Elle. "I think best you stay here for now,"

Elle looked at him, a mock smile on her face. "Oh trust me. I see that I have NO desire to go out there," she pointed at the wall.

"Then hold on," Dustin said before lurching forward since the bow of the ship actually hit the wall.

Englehorn looked back at Hayes.** "**Give me some power! Half astern, both!"

"Half astern, both, Captain!" Hayes obeyed quickly.

Elle swallowed when she heard Jack yell 'Rocks'

"Rocks to starboard captain ... to port ... rocks everywhere!" Jimmy yelled from the crow's nest.

Elle went up against one of the walls. "Seems like this part of the journey's going to be pretty interesting."

Hayes looked at her. "Define interesting,"

She looked back at him, a blank expression on her face. "Oh god, oh god, we're all going to die?" she suggested.

Dustin glared at her, then looked back at Hayes. "Take the wheel, Hayes," he ordered, going outside.

Elle sat down. Yep. This was DEFINITLY going to get interesting.

A second later the ship lurched to the side

Elle let out a small yelp when she fell over, then the next thing she knew Dustin had stumbled backwards from the wheelhouse door and tripped over her, landing on top of her. She tried not to blush too hard when he rolled off of her and got up, quickly getting back behind the wheel. Great. An unflattering moment with a gorgeous guy to top this whole thing off. She rolled her eyes and nodded as one of the crewmembers helped her up.

Hayes ran outside, yelling various positions of rocks.

There was another lurch from the boat.

Dustin quickly moved to the right, changing speed of the ship, then looked back at Elle. "Are you alright?"

"From now on the answer to that for me is going to be 'as I'll ever be thanks to this'"

The German frowned at her.

Elle sighed. "I'm fine… wait. We're not moving. Why aren't we moving?"

"I'm going to find out. Stay here," he left.

Elle scoffed. Typical man. She was now stuck in the wheelhouse without a clue of what was going on. Even more perfect than before.

No more than a couple of minutes later he returned. "You have a problem,"

Elle stared at him. "Look, I know you're still mad about the warrant thing, but-"

Dustin rolled his eyes and took her by the arm, dragging her outside. He pointed out on the water.

She frowned when she saw Carl, Preston, Jack, Herb, Mike, Bruce and Ann, with a few other sailors in a boat, a reasonable distance away now.

"Should I bring them back?" Hayes asked.

Dustin looked from Elle to Hayes. "I don't give a damn about Carl Denham... I want this ship fixed and ready to float on the next high tide. We're leaving Mr. Hayes." he walked away.

Hayes looked at Elle, expecting a reaction-, which is exactly what he saw. She was glaring at him, and she could only imagine what was going on inside her mind- but the way she spoke about Carl, he was almost certain there was also an argument with herself in those thoughts. Sure enough he was right.

_Who the heck does that idiot think he is just leaving my brother and friends out there? They can keep Bruce there but not the others. This was insane- come to think of it, Dustin's starting to get even worse than Bruce. We have to get them, either way. No. It's their loss. They deserve it, they're insane going out on this water. They deserve what comes to them. _Elle shook the thoughts out of her head. _What am I thinking? That's my brother out there! We can't just leave them._

"Miss. Denham…"

Elle looked up at Hayes.

"Don't worry. I have a feeling everything's going to be alright"

Elle smiled at him. "Thanks"

He nodded and walked away.

Elle's thoughts immediately went to Jimmy. She went off looking for him, hoping he was okay. When she found him, she was relieved to find he was okay, reading, at that. Hayes was a few feet away.

"Elle! You're alright!" Jimmy jumped upward, hugging her.

"You are too, thank god!" she hugged him back.

Jimmy let go of her, the joy immediately gone from his face. He looked back at Hayes, seeming to continue the conversation they were having. "It's not an adventure story, is it Mr. Hayes?"

"No Jimmy. It's not" Hayes shook his head, then looked at something.

Jimmy and Elle followed his gaze, then looked shocked when they saw what it was. A rock that looked like a skull.

Elle's stomach felt like it was in knots again. "That's it," she growled.

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"Where's the captain?" Elle demanded.

Hayes pointed towards the bow.

"Why?" Jimmy looked at her.

"Because we're going after my brother, " she stormed towards the bow, and sure enough Dustin was there, giving orders. She marched over to him.

"What is it?" he asked rather shortly. He was alarmed when she actually grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him forward so their faces were bout an inch apart.

"Look. Whether I like it or not Carl's my brother and I love him. We have to go after him. Got it? You're getting a good amount of your crew and we're going after my brother and the others whether you like it or not, you understand me?" Elle growled.

Dustin was in too much shock to reply. He merely swallowed; surprised that she was actually succeeding in intimidating him.

"And if you're not gonna go along with my plan, I'm gonna gather most of your crew anyway and go after them. What do you have to say about that?"

Dustin sighed. "I was wrong. You _are_ like your brother. I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No" Elle replied, releasing him.

Dustin sighed, and then started yelling a few of the crewmember's names. "We're going ashore"

Elle smiled and clasped her hands together, the anger she had just had completely gone. "Thank you" she smiled and walked away.

Dustin watched her leave before shuddering. "Ugh. Women"

Top of Form

Bottom of Form


	9. He Lied

**I do not own King Kong. If I did, I'd have Englehorn return in the end NYC scene to help Jack out instead of dropping him completely after getting off Skull Island. **

**And NOW there is a chapter nine (grins)**

Elle glared at Dustin when he walked into the room she was tied up and gagged in- by him.

He undid the gag and sat down.

"YOU STUPID, LYING SON OF A-" the gag was back in her mouth a second later. She rolled her eyes.

Dustin sighed. "You know, when someone gags you, then gives you the chance to talk, usually you should talk CAMLY or you're going o end up right back where you started"

Elle sighed, rolling her eyes again before leaning forward.

Dustin took the gag off again, looking at her expecting another outburst.

"Feel free to tell me why you gagged me along with tying me up if you didn't want me to go on the island in the first place" she growled, then looked at the door when Bruce burst in.

"And I'm glad he didn't let you come after us!" he blurted, looking oddly pale.

Elle shot Dustin a look. "Why didn't you shoot him when you had the chance?" she whispered.

"I didn't." Dustin replied.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"Because your brother and the rest of us were attacked by natives of that island, Ellie" Bruce replied.

Elle shot Bruce a glare before looking back at Dustin.

"One of the crew… Mike, was it?" Dustin looked back at Bruce.

The actor nodded.

"What about him?" Elle frowned.

"They killed him, Elle. He's dead" Bruce replied.

Elle's jaw dropped.

"And that was another reason I didn't want you going" Dustin nodded.

"Neither did I, Ellie" Bruce cut in, practically jumping between the two.

She glared at him again. "You. Out" she ordered.

Surprisingly he left.

"Do you always have that affect on men?" Dustin smirked.

"No. Not really. Just guys that like me. I think you can untie me, now"

"Right. Under one condition."

"Which is?"

"You aren't going to cause any harm"

"Well, that's gonna be difficult for me"

"You're loss" Dustin got up and headed for the door.

"No! Don't you dare! You get your butt back here and untie me!"

He looked back at her, his lip sticking out slightly.

Elle tried not to laugh, being that she would never expect him to have a puppy face. "Fine. I won't cause harm"

"Good" he untied her. "And if I may, I suggest you go to Ann's cabin to talk to her. She's quite shaken up about the events and may need a friend right now"

"Yessir" she nodded and left, heading for Ann's room. She arrived, and sure enough Ann looked horrified. "Hi. Are you alright"

Ann whipped her head in Elle's direction before sighing in relief. "Oh, Elle you startled me"

Both women looked at the door when they heard yelling and crashing.

"What're they doing?" Ann asked.

Elle opened the door and saw most of the crew throwing things overboard. She went back inside, not thrilled she was already soaked after a mere five seconds of being outside. "Apparently trying to get unneeded things off the ship to try and lose some weight to ry and get off this rock"

Ann nodded. "Oh"

"Are you alright, though?" Elle frowned.

Ann sighed. "You're lucky, Elle. You didn't have to go through with what I just did"

"I know, then again you weren't tied up and gagged by the captain than shoved into his room" Elle said.

Ann stared at her, her mouth slowly dropping.

Elle realized what she was reacting about. "Oh god, Ann! No! He's not like that! I'd kill him before he'd try that! No! He didn't want me coming with him and his crew in case something like well… what happened- er- happened"

"Oh" Ann blushed, then whirled around when a wave hit the side of the boat, she jumped up, startled before looking at her reflection and taking a deep breath.

"Ann. Are you sure you don't want to sit down or anything? You should rest. Dust- er- Englehorn and Bruce told me what happened. Seriously. You should take a lie-" she shut her mouth when she heard a weird sound.

"What was that?" Ann asked, clearly frightened.

"I don't know. Maybe you should stay here when I-"

The sound was heard again.

Now both women were getting frightened.

"Elle, I don't think-" now it was Ann's turn to get cut off when the sound came a third time.

Elle looked back at Ann. "Ann. I'm serious now. Stay here. I'm going to find Jack" she headed for the door, reaching out towards the door handle, freezing when it started turning on it's own. She started throwing random names out as it continued to turn, pausing after each to see if she got a reply. "Hayes? Jimmy? Jack? Carl? Preston? Dustin? Lumpy? Herb? Bruce?" no luck. She felt like her blood ran cold when the door started creaking open.

"Elle!" Ann shrieked breathlessly.

Elle looked up when the door opened fully, now seeing a black man with gray matted hair and what seemed like pink eyes. His body was pierced in several different places with bone and he was wearing a few necklaces. Well that was a native if she had ever seen one. _Wait- a native? A native? What if it's one of them that attacked Carl's group? _"Oh you've gotta be kidding me!" Elle managed before she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head and everything went black.


	10. Man Troubles

**A/N: One little thing here I know King Kong was based in the year 1933 so it's three years early for Gone With the Wind but the little comment about it just fit... and heck, the disclaimer of the previous chapter goes with this- and I may not OWN King Kong but I'm gonna have Englehorn do that anyway (grins)**

Elle groaned and sat up slowly, wincing at the feeling of her head throbbing.

"Easy. Slow down. Moving fast won't help the pain,"

Elle tried to get the person that had spoken into focus. She would think that Bruce was the only one who would be hovering over her, but since when did Bruce have deep blue eyes and a hat that was practically attached to his head? Dustin came into focus. "…Captain?"

"Welcome back" Dustin smiled at her.

Elle started to sit up again. "Where's- oh God" her head pounded again and she leaned forward, trying to rid herself of the pain. It didn't work out to well. She sighed and leaned into the captain when she felt his hand go to her back, helping to support her. "Ugh…"

Dustin smiled, then noticed she was shivering, no thanks to him since he was already getting her soaked since his shirt was still wet and she was leaning on it. He grabbed the blanket from the bed and put it over her.

"Thanks," Elle muttered. She hated the fact that whatever had happened to her took a lot of energy from her because she could barely speak two words.

Dustin nodded. "Any time" he studied her for a moment, then looked down. It was now or never. "Listen, Elle… about what I said before… not being able to trust you… understand I didn't… mean it. Especially not to you… it's just… your brother…" he shut his mouth and drew his lips into a thin line. _Why is it so hard for me to apologize?!_

"Captain Englehorn, I said I was on your side. I haven't changed my mind. Now, the last thing I remember before getting knocked out was Ann screaming. Where is she?"

Dustin sighed. "How many times have I told you that you can call me by my first name?"

"Fine. _Dustin_, you're stalling. Where's Ann?" Elle demanded.

Dustin sighed. "The natives took her, but not before knocking you out. You got lucky, Elle. They killed one of my men just outside the door…"

"My God. I'm sorry" Elle told him, for both reasons. One was that Ann missing would mean they'd have to go back on the island, as well as she felt bad that he lost on of his crew.

"Thank you, but personally, I'm more happy to see they only knocked you out and didn't suffer his fate," he said gently and ran his hand down her arm, letting it rest on her elbow without moving it.

Elle blushed and looked away. For a man who spent most of his time on the water, he definitely knew how to charm a woman, even if it seemed he wasn't trying. She paused, seeing a trickle of blood coming from his lip. "What happened to you?"

He blinked. "Hm?"

"You're bleeding" Elle pointed out, brushing the blood away with her finger, not even noticing her finger lingered there for a while.

Dustin was the first to notice, clearing his throat.

Elle blushed and let her hand drop. "Sorry,"

Dustin shook his head. "It's fine. Your brother and I had a… conflict of interests. Thank you, though…" he looked away briefly, then took a deep breath. "Why… why do you let your brother boss you around like he does? You've said yourself that you're older and should make your own story, why live off of his?"

Elle looked away. "I don't know," she looked back at him when he took her chin gently in his right hand.

"Honestly, Elle. You're a smart, attractive woman. You shouldn't be around your brother the way he is,"

Elle blushed. "Why would you care about what happens to me?"

Dustin smiled again. "Because you're about the only one on your brother's side who treats me like a real person instead of some cold… bastard, and you don't know how much I appreciate that,"

Elle could only stare when she noticed after a few more seconds of silence, his face inched closer to hers, and she shut her eyes instinctively when she felt his breath near her mouth, having a good idea of what he was about to do. His lips were just about on hers when the door swung open, and if the moment couldn't have been more embarrassing, Carl was on the other side.

"Hey, sis-" he froze when he saw the other two, then glared at Dustin.

Elle and Dustin quickly separated.

"What was that about?" Carl demanded.

"Nothing, Carl," Elle replied, not loving her brother's tone, then she noticed Carl was also bleeding. She frowned, figuring just how bad that 'conflict of interests' was, and stood up. "Which one of you threw the first punch? I can imagine where you can start bleeding from getting thrown around on the ship because of the storm, but other than your lip, Englehorn, none of those spots are bloodied… on either of you. Who started it?"

Dustin sighed. "I did."

"And I punched back" Carl admitted.

Elle sighed. "Mind telling me what that conflict of interests was?" she demanded. It was amazing to her that all that had to happen for her to get her energy back was her getting annoyed.

"Nothin' " Carl shrugged.

"Your brother refused to throw a camera overboard. Apparently that camera's more important than any of our lives" Dustin said.

Carl lunged at the captain, pinning him against the wall.

"Hey!" Elle yelled, going between them before either could punch the other. "Both of you stop it now! Don't you think a few punches that drew blood are enough for one night?!"

"For your brother? Impossible" Dustin growled.

Carl glared at him.

Jack came into the room. "She's right, Englehorn, Carl. Kill each other later. We have to go back to the island. We have to save Ann"

Elle looked at him. "I'm coming with you this time"

"But-" all three men began.

"No!" Elle shook her head. "Ann's my friend and I let her down by letting one of those… things knock me out. Helping rescue her is the least I can do"

"No, Elle. You're staying here and that's final," Carl said.

"Who are you to give me orders, Carl? I'm older anyway," Elle shook her head.

"Too bad. I'm the only male remaining of the Denham's, and what I say goes, you stay!" Carl said.

"She just said she's going. You can't control her," Dustin growled.

"Oh, this from the guy that tied her up and gagged her to make her stay on the ship the first time you came!" Carl said.

"And be glad he did, or for all we know your sister could've been Mike!" Jack pointed out.

Carl glared at Dustin. "Oh, now you just don't have my sister against me, you have my friend against me, too"

Jack glared at him. "Carl if this thing keeps going the way it's going, you're not gonna have any friends by the end of it. You're already losing me!"

Carl walked out of the room.

Jack turned back to Elle after scoffing. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. Now when are we going on that island?" Elle replied.

Jack laughed. "You're determined aren't ya? Are you sure you don't wanna rest? You got clocked pretty good"

"Well I'm fine now, so whenever you're going"

Jack looked up at Dustin. "She's been around you too much. She's getting more tough than usual"

The German smirked. "I doubt that I'm the reason, Mr. Driscoll. I believe it's being stuck on this ship with a brother who annoys you would be reason enough"

"Not bad, Dusty" Elle smiled.

Dustin raised his eyebrow at her.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist" Elle smirked.

Dustin shook his head.

"So there's no way that we can convince you otherwise of coming with us?" Jack asked.

"Nope" Elle shook her head.

"Then be ready in an hour," Jack said before walking away.

Elle turned back to the cabin, looking around, now noticing the mess. "God. What did they do to this place?"

"You're insane, you know that?" Dustin asked, ignoring what she had said.

"Why would that be?" Elle looked back at him.

"You witnessed what those natives could do firsthand, and when you leave this room unless my crew hasn't picked up Harris' body, you're going to see even more of what they can do. You're going to risk your life just because you couldn't help Miss. Darrow?"

"You know, I thought you were on my side, here" Elle pointed out.

"I am. But… what are you trying to prove, Elle? Hm? Other than saving your friend I know there's something else… some other purpose of going on that island? What is it? To show that Elle Denham, sister of Carl Denham can be as adventurous as him?" Dustin frowned.

"Maybe, maybe not? What does it matter?" Elle shook her head.

"Elle, you don't have to prove anything! With enough courage, you can do without a reputation. You have that courage, Elle"

"A German ship captain gone Rhett Butler. What will they think of next?" Elle frowned, leaving, ignoring the bloodstain on the floor as she went up the stairs, not knowing why she had gotten so irritated right away over something as simple as a comment. She was even past irritated. She was quite angry, actually.

"Elle!" Dustin yelled, running after her. He caught up with her, taking her by the arm, trying not to make his grip too tight. "I meant no offense by that"

"Then what did you mean?" Elle demanded.

"Elle you're overreacting. I know you're worried about your friend but-" he was absolutely shocked when he felt her hand fly across his face.

"You don't know anything about me," she growled, walking away.

Dustin watched her. That was the second time that she had shocked him more than he had ever been- and the times were less than twenty-four hours apart. He looked in the opposite direction, only to see Bruce leaning on the wall of the ship, shaking his head.

"What?" he demanded rather shortly.

"You got a lot to learn about women, pal" Bruce replied.

The captain shook his head.

"Captain!" Lumpy yelled from a few feet away. "Guns?"

"Below deck. The automatics are in my cabin" Dustin replied.

Lumpy nodded and walked in another direction with a group of sailors.

Dustin looked back below deck where Elle probably was. He went down the ladder. "Elle" he called gently. "Elle I'm sorry" he muttered, now seeing her a few feet away.

"Are you?" Elle frowned.

"Yes" Dustin nodded.

Elle sighed. "I am too. I shouldn't have reacted like that and shouldn't have slapped you, either…"

"No, don't bother apologizing. If, anything, I deserved it"

Elle looked at him, then held back a laugh. "Oh god, your cheek's turning red from it. Is there anything I can do?"

"I'm sure the Captain here wouldn't mind a nice smooch on it to make him feel better" Lumpy said, popping in somewhat randomly.

The other two glared at him.

Lumpy winked and clicked his tongue before moving on.

Dustin sighed, trying to forget what the cook had just said. "Either way, Elle, I shouldn't be the one telling you what to do. You do that and you alone. I should keep my mouth shut with your decisions, and if you want to go onto that island… I guess I have one thing I can do to at least put myself at ease"

"And what would that be?" Elle frowned.

"Follow me" Dustin replied.

Ell fought the urge but curiosity got the better of her and she followed him into what probably was his cabin. She looked around. A few crates and chest were open; spaces that looked like they had contained guns were empty in them.

Dustin approached an unopened chest and opened it, looking through it briefly until he found what he was looking for.

Elle looked over his shoulder to see he was holding an old looking gun, the expression on his face looking like he was havin quite a few memories. "If you're going on that island I want you to take this" he handed the gun to her.

Elle looked from him to the gun, turning it around. An engraving on one side caught her eye. _Gustave Denham_ it read. Elle stared at it. "Dustin- it says- it it- it can't be- is it?"

Dustin looked at her. "Your fathers? Yes. He gave it to me on one of the holidays in the war after I saved his life. He said it was the least he could do since my gun was a piece of trash" Dustin chuckled, them memory going through his mind.

Elle smiled. "That sounds like my father"

"Right" Dustin nodded. "And now that I've met his daughter that he always spoke about, it's the least I can do passing one of his belongings on to you in a time of need"

Elle looked at him. "He talked about me during the war?"

"You were all he spoke about… and Carl, briefly… I chose to forget what he said about him"

Elle smiled. "Why didn't you tell me you had heard of me from him?"

"You never asked"

Elle shook her head. "But the question is… what did you think of me… through those stories?"

_That I was falling in love with you without meeting you… just like I think I am now with meeting you this time._ "I wasn't sure… you can't really have an opinion on someone based on stories… but now that I know you on the other hand… I'd say it's a hard decision"

Elle shoved him playfully, but then once again took Dustin by surprise, hugging him a moment later. "I'm sorry I exploded at you before"

"It's alright" Dustin nodded, not knowing what else to do or say, just letting his hands hover at her sides, not sure whether to hug her back or not.

Elle pushed off of him, putting the rifle strap over her so it hung at her back as she turned to the door. "I take you're staying with the ship"

Dustin nodded.

"Then I guess I'll be seeing you around soon"

"Hm" Dustin nodded, watching her leave. He went out onto the deck, lookin up into the sky. "Gustave… watch over her enough for the both of us" he murmured before meeting the part of the crew that was staying on the ship to make final repairs.

**Last A/N: Yeah I know he goes onshore with them at first then doubles back but this just seemed to fit more for this. Eh heh… review!**


	11. The Journey Begins

**Elvespiratesandcowboysohmy: Hm… Silent Hill, huh? Well, haven't seen that yet, but since Sean Bean's in it, I plan to very soon, so chances are I'll have a fic on it soon.**

Elle looked around when she heard a strange sound like a roar. She looked at Jack who looked back at her before running to the wall, starting to climb part of it.

Jack shook his head when he reached the top and looked through the opening for a short while. He looked back at the gathered group. "She's gone!" he climbed down the wall and went back to the group. "She's gone," he repeated.

Elle looked at him. "Don't worry. We're gonna find her"

Jack didn't seem to hear her. His attention was on Carl who had a look of disbelief on his face. "Carl? What is it? … You saw something…"

Carl just looked back at them without saying a word. He walked away.

"You know your brother, what was that about?" Jack turned to her.

"I wish I knew" Elle replied, looking back at Carl, who still didn't say anything. She looked back at Jack and put her hand on his shoulder. "But Jack… we will find her" she nodded.

Jack looked at her, trying to crack a smile but failing.

"And hopefully we'll find her in less than twenty four hours" Hayes said, walking over to them.

"What? Twenty-four? Why so short?" Elle frowned.

"Captain's orders" Hayes replied.

Elle glared at the Venture and took a step towards the shore again but Hayes took her by the arm. "Don't bother. I don't think he'll even be phased by you with that decision"

Elle sighed, knowing he was probably right.

"Then let's start looking instead of wasting time here" Jack started walking towards the gate, Elle close at his heels.

Jimmy followed suit.

"Not you, Jimmy" Hayes looked at the youngest crewmember.

"C'mon Mr. Hayes, look at em. None of them knows which way to point a gun." Jimmy argued, shifting the rifle in his hands.

Hayes took the rifle. "Stay here."

"Miss Darrow needs me!" Jimmy continued the argument.

"No!" Hayes shook his head again.

"He's right, Jim. God forbid something happens to you" Elle said, putting an arm around him.

Jimmy frowned at her.

It broke Elle's heart seeing him like that but Hayes was right. He had to stay for his own safety. She looked back at Jack.

"You sure you wanna come. Too?" he asked.

"You're crazy to think I'm going back now" Elle replied with a smile.

Jack nodded and turned, going through the gate.

Elle looked around, already surprised at the bones and other sharp objects around the gate's entrance. She moved carefully so she didn't get caught on anything.

"Hey, Elle. I didn't know you were coming with us"

Elle winced. _Bruce._ _Why god? Why me? Why did he have to fall for me?_ "Well, surprise, surprise, here I am, Bruce" she replied.

The group continued on the path until Hayes put his hand up at yet another odd sound.

Elle tried not to punch Bruce when she felt his arm encircle her waist.

"You're fine as long as I'm here" he muttered.

"Oh god" Elle rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly fine, Bruce" she eased out of his grip. "You, on the other hand…"

Bruce shot her an annoyed look.

Elle grinned. _Finally_Her thoughts were cut off when they heard someone scream. Not just someone- Ann.

"Ann!" Jack yelled, running forward in the direction the scream came from.

"Jack!" Elle yelled, running after him, everyone close behind.

There was another roar, which only worried Jack more. "Ann!" he repeated.

Another scream.

"Oh no" Elle muttered. She looked at Jack when he bent down and picked something up. "What is it?"

Jack held up an odd looking necklace, a light blonde hair still visible tangled in it.

Lumpy looked around where they were.** "**Christ! It's a bleeding bone yard! They've been ripped limb from limb!"

"ANN! Ann!" Jack ran ahead.

"Does this guy ever quit?" Bruce demanded.

"You learn that's a big no after a while" Elle sighed, running after him, wanting to meet the person that had invented jeans even if they were already dead so she could hug him and tell him or her that they were making a big difference than if she was wearing a skirt and running after her friend in them.

Jack skidded to a halt briefly, trying to catch his breath.

Elle looked back at the crew and stopped short when she saw Hayes pull off one of the sailor's hats. It wasn't just one of the crew. It was Jimmy. "Jimmy…" she murmured, shaking her head, watching Hayes scold the younger man, then a couple of minutes later and hand the gun back to him.

Jimmy nodded and walked ahead again.

Elle looked at him, meeting him halfway. "What are you doing, Jimmy?"

"I just wanted to help" he shrugged.

Elle smiled. "You're a handful, do you know that?"

Jimmy smiled back. "You should talk"

Elle gasped and whacked his arm playfully.

"So violent" Jimmy shook his head.

Elle just looked at him before jumping slightly when she heard rounds from a machine gun go off. She whirled around to see Lumpy shooting a giant insect.

"Conserve your ammunition!" Hayes barked.

Lumpy looked back at Hayes before shooting at the insects again briefly before he continued on until early morning with no luck of Ann.

Lumpy came forward. **"**I'm knackered! I've gotta have a breather." He sat by a log.

The other sailors also sat down.

"Hey fellas - we don't have time for this. We've lost too much ground already! Come on, get up!" Jack said.

Hayes walked over to him. "They're not about to quit on you. Cut them some slack."

Jack sighed.

Elle looked at him. "Hey, it's gonna be okay"

Jack glared at her. "You keep saying that but look! It's not! We still haven't found Ann!" he blurted. A moment later he looked back at Elle. "I'm sorry… I'm just… worried about her"

"We all are, Jack" she smiled weakly.

Jack nodded, then spotted something. He knelt down.

Elle looked where his gaze was and nearly fell over, seeing the giant footprint that had now caught everyone's attention.

"Bloody Nora!" Lumpy breathed.

"Is that what took Miss Darrow?" Jimmy asked.

"There's only one creature capable of leaving a footprint that size" Lumpy announced.

Everyone looked at him, ready to hear what he had to say. It sounded like he was confident and knew exactly what he was talking about.

"The abominable snowman" lumpy finished.

"Ugh" Elle groaned, turning to Jimmy and banging her head on his shoulder.

Jimmy shrugged in agreement with her reaction, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Hayes bent down and looked at Jack**. "**It's gotta be - what? Twenty? twenty-five feet?" he asked.

"Carl saw it. Let's ask him" Jack said, getting up and walking down the path.

Hayes looked at Elle. "Miss Denham. Why don't you go forward and see what's there? We need to know what we're dealing with. Well get your brother. Collins, you go with her" Hayes looked at one of the sailors.

Collins nodded.

Elle recognized him as the sailor that Dustin had been giving orders to when Hayes hadn't been around. The two of them turned the opposite way of the path. They walked for a few short minutes until they came to a wall again.

"What do ya say, climb?" Collins looked at Elle.

"I don't see why not-" Elle stopped talking when she felt the ground shake. "What the-" she looked in the other direction, then saw Bruce running towards them, followed by Jack, Carl, Jimmy and Hayes.

"GET UP THE WALL!" all five of them yelled.

Collins and Elle looked at each other, knowing better than to question about whatever they were running from since the warning came from five men. They climbed up the wall, met by the rest of the group but Carl and Herb a few moments later.

Elle looked around nervously when she heard a screeching of sorts, then growling. "What's that?" she asked, worried about her brother, relieved to see him come up the wall a few more seconds later, but something was wrong. "Carl what is it?"

"Herb's dead" Carl said breathlessly.

"What? How?" Elle demanded.

"Those things… got him" Carl replied, a distant look in his eyes.

"What 'things'?" Elle asked.

"Would you believe us I all of us said raptors?" Lumpy asked.

"Raptors?" Elle stared at him.

Jack looked at her. "Yeah. Raptors"

Elle looked at him. "You can't be serious"

"I am, Elle. I'm starting to think we should've left you with Englehorn in the first place" Jack replied.

Elle just looked at him. To her dislike, she was actually starting to agree.


	12. The Swamp

**Padme4000: Yes, I own the DVD of the said movie and absolutely LOVE Sean in it. I also never believed in ear-to-ear grins until you see him smile in it when Beauty's born- hehe that's the best scene of the movie except for the whole scene where Black Beauty takes Jerry's sandwich then drops it on his face when Jerry gives up chasing him. **

**To all my other reviewers, thanks for the reviews, now on with the chapter! **

Elle helped Jack secure a few logs together for the raft they were making to get across the swamp like area they were in.

"C'mon guys we need more rope!" Jack said.

Bruce went to the center of the group. "We gotta get back to the ship. Englehorn sails in nine hours."

"So? We have to find Ann!" Elle said at the same time as Jimmy, with him saying 'Miss. Darrow.'

Bruce marched over to him.

Elle looked between the two, shooting a protective look at Bruce. She was ready to step n if he was going to explode at the younger man.

"Hey, did you hear me? We're gonna be stranded here!" Bruce said. He looked around, finding himself the target of quite a few glares. "Miss Darrow was a great gal – no question. She was a wonderful person. It's a terrible loss. We're all gonna miss her."

Jack stood up.

Elle winced. This wasn't going to end pretty judging by the look on his face.

"I always knew you were nothing like the tough guy you play on screen- I just never figured you for a coward." Jack spat.

Bruce stepped forward.

Hayes and Elle exchanged looks, now both of them were ready to jump in if needed.

Bruce looked at Jack**. "**Hey, pal, wake up. Heroes don't look like me - not in the real world. In the real world they've got bad teeth, a bald spot and a beer gut ... be seeing ya." He lifted his chin to turn around.

"Bruce! What would you do if I was in Ann's situation? Huh? Would you give up as easily?" Elle demanded.

Bruce looked at her, stopping. "Well you're not, and since you're not, getting home is my main focus"

"You moron!" before Elle knew what she was doing she punched him hard in the face.

Bruce yelped, jumping backward. He brought his hands back from his nose, surprised to find there wasn't any blood. He looked back at her. "Ya know, Englehorn can have ya. I never noticed how really obnoxious you were"

Jimmy stepped forward but Elle held out her arm, holding him back. "I appreciate it, Jim, but don't bother. He's a jerk and all of us know it. Fine. Be the coward you are Bruce, and go"

"I was already doin' that" Bruce replied, walking away.

Hayes looked at the rest of the crew. "Anyone else?"

A couple of the sailors actually did follow Bruce.

Elle just glared at where the men had exited.

"Hey" Lumpy and Jack nudged her. "Consider yourself lucky, he'll finally leave you alone" they said.

Elle shrugged, a new smile growing on her face. That's true.

Jack laughed. "I'm just glad I've never annoyed you so much that you'd punch me. Did you see his face?"

Everyone in the remaining group but Hayes chuckled. It was true, Bruce's look of shock was pretty funny.

"Alright enough laughs let's get across this thing" with the help of a few members of the crew they got the two rafts in the water. They split into two group and looked around as they started crossing.

After a while of silence Jimmy's elbow hit Elle's arm. "Did you see that?" he whispered.

"See what?"

"That ripple in the water that didn't seem to fit with the other waves"

"No I did-" she whirled around when Jack let out a yell, turning to see an odd creature that she had never seen before, similar to some dinosaurs she had read about. She swallowed when even more came onto the raft that they were on. She looked up. The same creatures were on the raft Carl and Hayes were on as well. She took her father's old gun off her back and started whacking a few of them off the raft just as Jack was doing with his own gun. After a while, there were only about half the amount of creatures that had been on the rafts at first, but they swam away quickly. In Elle's opinion, too quickly.

"They gone?" Jack asked.

Elle frowned. "Yeah, but there's something worse coming"

"How do you know?" Jack asked.

"Those things were fierce for their size, Jack. They were old, too. Dinosaur old. Creatures like that wouldn't just swim off for nothing. There's- ah!" the raft turned sharply.

"What the hell was that?" Lumpy demanded.

"Something big enough to cause a turn like that?" Jack asked.

Elle nodded.

"How big would you say, then?" Jimmy asked.

"Oh, say… about that big?" Lumpy frowned, pointing at something.

Everyone on the raft turned their heads to see what looked like a giant snake coming their way at full speed.

All of them let out a yell of alarm when the bigger creature rammed the raft, sending it into then other one and flipping it over. Everyone on the rafts went flying into the water. Half the people in the water including Elle got onto the other raft easily, but Jimmy, Jack, Choy, Carl and Preston were still out of it along with Englehorn's other crewmembers.

Elle was still slightly shell-shocked from the ordeal, coming back to earth only when she heard Preston yelling for Jack to grab his hand. She shook her head and looked back at the water. Seeing the creature again. "It's coming back!" she yelled, turning just long enough to avoid seeing two of the crewmembers get eaten. She turned again at the sound of machine gun fire.

Carl was shooting right down the center of the raft trying toget the creature.

"Ca-ARRL!" Elle finished the warning in a yell right before going underwater since the half of the raft she was in flipped over. She was in dire want of killing her brother at the moment more than Bruce. She surfaced again.

"Elle!" Hayes yelled, yanking her and Lumpy back on the log, waiting until it hit the shore. Elle sighed in relief, dropping next to a tree, Jimmy dropping next to her a few seconds later, coughing and sputtering.

"You okay?" she asked, out of breath herself.

"I've been better" Jimmy replied.

Elle looked up when she saw Carl take the camera, just in time to catch yet another sailor's undoing by the creature on film.

Lumpy looked at Carl. "Did you get that, didja?" he asked.

Carl didn't respond.

Lumpy looked at Elle and Jimmy, walking over to them and putting a hand on Elle's shoulder. "if you don't kill him, I will"

"I'll uh… keep that in mind" Elle nodded.

Lumpy walked away.

Jimmy and Elle raised their eyebrows.

"C'mon. Let's go. Bruce was right on one account and that's we don't have much time" Jack said.

Everyone nodded and got up, following him through more of the jungle type area. Tired or not, they all knew he was right.

They continued on until Jack stopped, looking around when he heard an odd sound.

"What is it, Jack?" Elle yelled from the back of the group.

Jack put his hand up.

Out of nowhere Lumpy started firing his gun.

"No!" Jack yelled.

Lumpy stopped firing, just looking at him.

Jack ran in the direction that Lumpy had fired.

Elle, Hayes and Jimmy exchanged looks before shrugging and following him.

They came to a clearing where another dinosaur was flailing on the ground, its head bleeding. Everyone figured that the dinosaur was what Lumpy shot.

Jack's shoulders seemed to sink in relief before he continued walking.

Everyone in the back of the group winced as Lumpy shot the dinosaur again, killing it.

Jimmy looked form Hayes to Elle. "I have a bad feeling about this"

"We all do, Jimmy. We all do" Hayes nodded.


	13. Reunited

Elvespiratesandcowboysohmy and Padme4000: Wow

**Elvespiratesandcowboysohmy and Padme4000: Wow. Thanks for the really nice reviews. Glad Elle/ this fic in general has made such an impact. **

**And in general: I apologize in advance to all the Bruce fans reading. I make him do something really stupid at the end of the chapter.**

Elle looked around when they came to a large log that spanned across a large ravine. "What on Earth- what is this?"

"The only way across" Jack frowned.

Elle rolled her eyes at his comment. That much she knew.

"Come on" Hayes nodded at them, leading the way across the log. The group had made it about halfway across until he stopped short.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked.

Hayes put his hand up to silence the boy, peering at something in the distance.

Jimmy looked at Elle.

Elle shrugged, confused as him.

Hayes turned to Jimmy. "If anything happens, I want you to run. Understand?"

Jimmy shook his head. "I'm not a coward - I ain't gonna run."

Hayes looked at him, concern in his eyes. "It's not about being brave, Jimmy." He looked at everyone else. "Stay here"

The group exchanged worried looks as Hayes continued forward.

"What is he DOING?" jack demanded between gritted teeth.

"Your guess is as good as mine" Elle muttered, looking back at Carl who was struggling with his camera. She scoffed. _Amazing. After everything that's happened with the crew getting killed thanks to this film, he still does it. _She turned back to Hayes, who was now frozen.

"Go! Back across the log!" he yelled.

The man's reaction was enough for everyone not to question. All of them started backing up but Jimmy.

"I ain't gonna run." The boy repeated.

"Get Jimmy out of here!" Hayes ordered Jack.

Jack started pulling Jimmy backwards slowly.

They looked up when Hayes started shooting into he cave on the other side of the ravine.

"What is he-" Elle froze when she saw what he was shooting at. A giant ape came barreling out of the cave, picking up Hayes. "Oh my god"

Jimmy let out a yell. "No! Let him go!" he looked at Hayes "Kill him! Kill him! Bring him down, Mr. Hayes!"

Elle swallowed when she watched Hayes raise his pistol.

"You've gotta run, Jimmy." The man said.

"No! I ain't gonna run!" Jimmy objected.

"Do as I say." Hayes continued. "Go with Jack ... All of you. Run!" he raised the pistol more to take a shot, but Kong threw him forward, sending Hayes over the group's heads and against the side of one of the cliffs.

"NO!" Jimmy yelled, running forward.

"Jimmy!" Elle yelled, grabbing him and yanking him down as Jack started opening fire on the giant ape.

The other sailors also started firing.

The ape ran forward, hitting the log so a few of the sailors lost their balance on it before he lifted the log up, shaking it trying to make the group fall.

"Get down!" Jack ordered, dropping on the log to try and get a good grip on it.

Everyone followed suit.

Elle turned her head, still holding on when she heard Choy yelling. He was dangling on the log, losing his grip.

Lumpy tried to grab his hand but right when he reached him Choy fell.

With a final roar Kong shifted the log so it started falling down the ravine.

Elle noticed Preston actually succeed in jumping onto off the log onto a nearby vine before she heard a loud crash and everything went black yet again.

--

"Elle… Elle… Elle c'mon. Please wake up"

Elle groaned and opened her eyes, feeling the same sharp pain as when that native hit her. "Ugn…"

"You okay?"

She looked up and Jack came into focus, looking at her with a worried expression.

"Yeah, I'm- ow!" She felt another sharp pain at her back. She felt it, praying something from the ground they were on didn't go through her skin, but she only found her father's rifle digging into her back. How a thing that old was still in one piece after a fall like that she would never know. She looked around, remembering what had happened. "How's Jimmy? Is he okay?"

"He hopefully will be soon" Jack replied, looking back at Jimmy, who was still crying.

Elle looked around more, her heart sunk when she saw the clearly dead bodies of Hayes and Choy a few feet away. "Oh god…" she breathed, then stopped. Someone was missing. "Carl!" she whirled around, looking for him, relieved to find him leaning over something. She noticed that it was what remained of the camera- and the exposed film. She looked back at where a light was fading, noticing it was one of Jack's flares and it was fading. She could only stare when she saw giant insects coming out of hiding. "What on-" she felt a tingle at her leg and looked down to see a similar insect trying to get up her leg. She let out a yelp and kicked it away, following the action up by taking the rifle off her back and shooting the insect again, causing it to blow up. She turned and saw a worm-like insect come from the water right by Lumpy followed by a bunch of others. "Lumpy get the hell out of the water!"

"Why?" Lumpy demanded right before two more worms come from the water, their mouths surrounding both his legs.

"That's why!" Elle replied, shooting another insect coming at her. "Now try and get out of it's- OH GOD!" she turned, wincing when one of the worms actually came up and bit Lumpy's head, squeezing so the man's head was almost fully in it's mouth before it dragged him under. She shook the feeling of fright off and ran over to Jack, Carl, Jimmy and the remaining crew as even more of the giant insects came.

The Denham siblings covered each other, shooting every insect that came by them.

Elle winced and gagged when insect blood from the cricket-like insect that Jimmy had just shot off of Jack with a Tommy gun landed on her face. She spared a moment to wipe it off, then noticing something: With the insects attacking like they were at the moment, she shouldn't have even had time to get the blood off. She was lucky. She looked around more to see the insects gone, but now giant arachnids were coming at them. _Well this makes number one on the list of weird ways to die._ She jumped slightly when machine gun fire started going off, and it wasn't from the machine gun Jimmy had. _What on earth?_

"Don't move! Stay away from the wall!"

Elle stopped. She knew that voice. It was Dustin. _He must've doubled back when Bruce got back to the ship, but why would he-_

"Comin' through!"

Elle turned and froze yet again, staring at the person that was now shooting the arachnids while swinging on a vine. _That isn't just 'someone'-it's Bruce! ANOTHER thing you'd never see. _

Somehow the group was still able to hear Dustin over the machine gun fire. "Get out of there now! Climb!"

Bruce finally landed on the ground, walking past the group. "Nobody get in my way," he growled, shooting the insects.

Jack looked at Jimmy, leading him over to the vine. "Let's go, hurry up"

Jimmy nodded, then saw Hayes' body a few feet away.

Jack sighed. "Alright, Elle. Then you go"

"Right" Elle nodded, starting to climb up the vine. She reached the top and someone grabbed her hand, helping her the rest of the way. She looked up and to her relief it was Dustin, who paused a moment before doing something she never would've expected him to do. He hugged her so hard to the point that after a matter of seconds she was having trouble breathing, surprising thing was, she didn't care. She hugged him back before turning to help Jimmy up.

Carl came up a few moments later. "Oh thank god!"

Dustin started walking towards him. "Don't thank god, thank Mr. Baxter. He insisted on a rescue mission."

Elle stared at him, not listening to the rest of his statement. She turned to Bruce who had just come back up. "You did?"

Bruce looked down. "Uh… yeah. I did… hey, look, Elle, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said back at the swamp place, I was-"

"You're forgiven."

Bruce blinked, looking at her in disbelief "…I am?"

"Yes. Surprised?" Elle smiled.

"Well… yes" Bruce nodded.

"Hm." Elle nodded back. "But besides that, for rescuing us…THANK YOU!" she threw her arms around Bruce's neck and kissed him repetitively on the cheek.

"Aw, shucks, Elle" Bruce chuckled, actually pulling away instead of doing what she thought he would and try and weasel a real kiss out of her, but she was planning on doing hat to a certain German a few feet behind her, which was exactly what she planned. She marched over to Dustin, stopping right in front of him.

He gave her a blank look, noticing she went from walking pretty fast to just stopping short in front of him. "Yes?" he asked.

"You. God damn you come here!" she grabbed his collar, yanking him forward and kissing him hard on the lips, pleased to find that a second later his arm went around her waist and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

Bruce saw this, frowned, started muttering to himself and walked away with a few other crewmembers. "Dang Germans. Coulda done it. Shoulda done it. Gah!" he kept walking, but not before kicking a nearby rock, hurting himself in the process.

Dustin broke off from Elle, a wide smile on his face before he looked over to the other side of the ravine to see Jack climbing up the other end**. "**Driscoll! Don't be a fool! Give it up, it's useless!" his voice dropped, trying to let some sympathy come through. "She's dead."

Carl walked over to him. "She's not dead. Jack's gonna bring her back, And the ape will be hard on his heels. We can still come out of this thing okay… More than okay."

Dustin looked at Elle briefly, confused about what her brother was getting at.

She shrugged subtly.

Carl continued. "Think about it, you've got a boat full of chloroform we can put to good use."

Dustin paused before letting out a laugh.** "**You want to trap the Ape? I don't think so."

"Isn't that what you do? Live animal capture? I heard you were the best."

Dustin didn't know what to say. He just stared at Carl.

Carl turned back to Jack. "Jack!" he called.

Jack turned around.

"Look after yourself!" Carl yelled.

"Keep the Gate open." Jack said.

"Sure thing, buddy! Good luck!" Carl waved as Jack disappeared. Carl frowned. "I'm sorry."

Elle looked from Jack's disappearing form to Carl. "You're sorry? What's that supposed to mean? Carl what's going on in that insane mind of yours?"

Carl didn't respond. He just continued down the path.

Elle looked at Dustin.

He shrugged. "He's your brother. If you don't know, no one will" he put his hand on her should and the two followed Carl.

**Review!! **


	14. It Had Barely Begun

**A/N: I apologize in advance if the number of times 'the ape' used in this chapter starts annoying you like it is me even if I wrote it, but remember- Kong doesn't have a name until Carl randomly decides to call it Kong. **

"So little brother… what's the plan?" Elle looked at Carl when they reached the boats.

"Knock that… _thing_ out with the chloroform so we can get outta here" Carl replied. Something in his voice wasn't that convincing. "Get in the furthest boat back, though"

"Why?"

"Because we still don't know what this thing's capable of"

"Of course we do! The thing threw a giant log on the ground that we were on, Carl!"

"Exactly. Get in the boat!"

"I don't see why-"

"Englehorn"

The German looked up, glaring at Carl, figuring it was another order involving chloroform. "What?" he demanded shortly.

"I need you to get my sister out-"

"I'm perfectly fine walking on my own, thanks" Elle growled, whacking Carl.

"Fine" Carl shrugged.

Dustin sighed and continued getting the chloroform out of the crates and ready for the giant ape.

"CARL!"

Elle turned. "Jack. He's okay" she looked at Carl, only to see him staring at the wall, putting his hand up. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "Lower the bridge. If he has Ann get them out of there so we can get out quick!"

"Yeah! Drop the bridge! Do it now, for Christ sakes!" Preston nodded.

"Not yet ... wait." Carl replied his gaze not shifting from the gate.

"Carl!" Elle yelled again when the whole group heard the ape's roar, unnervingly close.

"Wait ..." Carl murmured.

No Carl!" Preston lunged forward, taking the machete from the sailor and cutting the rope releasing the bridge. The rope snapped, hitting him in the face.

"Preston!" Elle yelled, running over to him. "Christ. Here" she handed him a cloth, dabbing at the area where quite a lot of blood was forming.

"Agh. Thanks" Preston managed.

"You're welcome but try not to talk. I wouldn't want the taste of that much blood in my mouth" Elle said, dabbing at it.

Preston nodded, taking the cloth from her.

Elle looked up, relieved to see Jack pass her with Ann at his side, however, like usual on this whole voyage, the relief didn't last long because the ape came crashinf through the gate.

"Bring him down! Do it!" Carl yelled to Dustin.

The sailors threw grappling hooks at the ape, pulling it down.

"No!" Ann yelled.

"Are you out of your mind? Carl!" jack yelled, walking over to him.

Bruce went over to Preston and Elle. "Time to go"

"What?" Elle demanded.

"We're getting on one of the boats and waiting for the others to get on to get the hell outta here" he dragged them to the furthest boat out.

"Bruce you jackass!" Elle yelled when they finally reached the boat, looking back uncertainly at the scene.

They sailors had succeeded in getting the ape down in the net, but that was as far as they got.

"C'mon. Just gas it and get out," Elle whispered.

Sure enough a few seconds later Dustin had hurled a bottle of chloroform by the ape, but it had little effect.

Elle frowned, hearing Ann yelling for Dustin to stop.

"Stop it! You're killing him!" the other woman yelled.

Another chloroform bottle crashed by the ape.

Elle spotted Jack practically dragging Ann towards the boats.

"Elle help me out here!" Jack yelled.

Elle jumped out of the boat, putting er hand on Ann's' shoulder. "Come on Ann, let's get out of here. It's going to be okay. They're just knocking him out so-" she was cut off by alarmed yells from the crew. She went forward a few feet, and then went pale. The giant ape had actually broken free of the net. "Oh… my… god"

"Kill it!" Elle heard Dustin yell. _Well THAT'S not gonna be to nice for Ann to hear if she seems to like this ape like she's leading on._

"No!" Carl yelled.

Elle shook her head. She couldn't believe that her brother was actually still fighting for this at the cost of people's lives. She couldn't even think of what to say about it.

"It's over, you Goddamn lunatic!"

_Well that pretty much covers it. Good call, Dustin. _

"I need him alive!" Carl argued.

Elle froze when she returned to the boat. That was what this was about. Carl didn't want knock it out to let them get away. He wanted it so he could bring the ape back to the ciy, put its name up in lights, and make money. _That greedy bastard that I'm starting to hate to call brother._ She looked up when most of the crew starting coming towards them, Jack and Ann in front. "Now what's going on?" she yelled.

"Shut up and shove off!" Jack barked, helping Ann into the boat.

She jumped right back out. "No! It's me he wants!"

"Ann!" Bruce yelled, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her backwards.

"Let me go to him!" Ann continued.

Dustin joined them in the boat. "Row! Get the hell out of here!"

Elle turned to him. "Okay, can YOU tell me what's going on?" she yelled over the other sailors shouting.

"You're about to find out" Dustin replied, looking back at the cave.

Elle glanced where he was looking, then saw the ape running forward, grabbing a sailor and biting his head off. "Oh god"

Dustin put an arm protectively around her waist.

"Go back" Ann murmured, tears in her eyes.

Elle looked back at the other boat, which was now flying through the air since the ape had slammed its fist down on it. She swallowed hard, seeing Carl go flying. "Carl!" she looked around again, seeing the ship that the ape had just hit now crash into a million pieces because the ape had thrown it against the cave wall. "JACK! JIMMY! CARL!" she yelled. She sighed in relief when she saw Jack resurface with his arm around Jimmy.

The ape turned towards their boat again.

"Go back!" Ann breathed.

Elle frowned as the ape seemed to stop after hearing her voice. There was seriously something odd about the relationship between Ann and it.

Dustin turned to Elle and Bruce. "Hold her" he ordered, pushing Ann backwards into them.

"Ann, calm down. It's going to be okay, alright?" Elle asked, holding her friend who couldn't stop crying. She realized her timing for the statement was off again when Dustin fired a harpoon into the ape's knee.

The ape roared in pain.

Elle pulled Ann closer to her as the woman's cries increased.

Dustin started setting up another harpoon.

"Wait" Elle touched his arm, nodding at Carl who had climbed part of the rock of the cave. "My brother has something up his sleeve."

Dustin glanced at Carl for a moment, still holding the harpoon up.

"Leave him alone!" Ann yelled.

"No! Ann. Calm down. Let him do what he needs to do!" Elle told her.

"I can't!" Ann sobbed.

Carl hurled the chloroform bottle he still had somehow at the ape. This time it hit it, and had an affect. The ape soon faltered and lost conciousness.

"What is he doing?" Dustin demanded, noticing the thoughtful look Carl had on his face.

"Something tells me we're about to find out and it's gonna be a pretty dramatic explanation." Elle replied.

Dustin sighed. "What more could we expect?"

"Good point" Elle replied as Carl started talking.

"The whole world will pay to see this. We're millionaires, boys. I'll share it with all of you! In a few months his name will be up in lights on Broadway! "Kong - the Eighth Wonder of the World!"

Elle sighed, leaning against Dustin, defeated. She had thought when they knocked 'Kong' out it was going to be over. She couldn't believe how wrong she was. It wasn't over. It had barely begun.


	15. The World May Never Know

"Elle! Elle!"

Elle looked around, hearing someone call her. "Down by the cages!" she yelled back, looking for the source again. It didn't come from Jack, who was in the cage opposite hers, not facing her, just staring at the wall. Ann hadn't spoken a word to him the whole return voyage so far, which had already been two days.

There were two sounds of something hitting the ground, one after the other.

She looked in that direction, smiling when she saw Jimmy and Dustin coming over.

"I told you she'd be down here," Dustin told the younger boy.

Jimmy rolled his eyes, the action only visible to Elle who bit her tongue to keep form laughing. He came into the cage and help out his hand. "You dropped this back on the island. Sorry I didn't get this to you sooner. I've been busy working with most of the crew gone" his smile faded for a moment, then it was replaced. He opened his fist, showing a silver necklace.

Elle tilted her head, then took it from him, looking it over for a moment before realizing what it was. "Oh my god, Jimmy! Thank you! I don't know what I'd do without this!"

Dustin glanced over Jimmy's shoulder and smirked. "Ah. Your family crest created by your father"

Elle nodded.

Dustin smiled, both surprised and pleased with Elle's devotion to her father. He glanced over it for a moment, noticing two words on it Loyalty and Trust. He frowned. "What happened to love and unity?" he asked, remembering Gustave had told him about the crest with four 'family words' inscribed on it.

Elle smiled. "That's another one of my father's last hopes. He made two of these. He figured Carl was a lost cause, so he gave one to me with two of our family words, then when he took my brother away, he put the other one around my brother's neck… that was the last day I saw my brother… then I got word of my father's death.

Dustin remained silent, not sure of what to say.

Jimmy frowned. "Sad" was all he managed, for some reason squirming uncomfortably.

"Jimmy!" Dustin said in a way that was almost a warning.

"No. It's okay. He's right anyway," Elle told him.

Dustin nodded, a smile growing on his face when he saw Elle seemed to perk up as well.

Jimmy looked between the two adults, trying to decide whether to leave or not. He still wasn't sure if Elle was alright, she may need a friend, then again, she had a friend- a boyfriend at that, in Jimmy's opinion, who was standing behind him, grinning like a love-struck idiot and not caring who saw, which was definitely not like the captain at all. That thought convinced Jimmy to turn and leave, returning to the crow's nest.

Elle watched the boy leave then smiled, shaking her head. "Great kid"

Dustin nodded. "He is… I wish we hadn't lost Hayes… he seems lost without him, doesn't he?"

Elle nodded. "You're right. He does seem out of it…"

"I find it so noble, though… after everything that happened, he risked his life for all of you…" Dustin murmured.

Elle kissed him. "Right, but so did you"

"But I didn't give my life for you, either… Hayes was a good man"

"He was" Elle nodded, and then frowned. "God. I can't believe after all of this, I'm just going to return to New York City then get carted off to jail" she sighed, not wanting to change the subject, but that one thought had been the main thing haunting her.

Dustin looked at her. "You really think that the men who are going to profit the most from Kong after this are really going to have you and your brother arrested?"

"Carl, no. Me, yes"

"Then I'm not going to let them arrest you if Carl doesn't get arrested"

"Then you'd be getting yourself into trouble with the law. I wouldn't want that"

"You're worth it" Dustin replied. He couldn't believe that after such a short time Elle had completely captured his heart. He fought off a smile. Maybe it wasn't such a short time since he had heard about Elle since he was sixteen, but either way it amazed him.

"I still wouldn't let you"

"Prove it" Dustin replied with a smirk.

Elle gasped and pushed him playfully. "Come on. I think it's time for Roberts and Martinez to take a break from navigating. Let's get up there"

"I'm still not backing down. If the police try to lay a hand on you they're going to have to deal with me"

"Then you're going to have to deal with me"

"I finally understand why Baxter likes you but is horrified of you at the same time"

"Is that an insult, Captain?"

"Perhaps"

Elle whacked his shoulder again. That was mostly what the past two days had been. Playfully fighting, avoiding Carl, and navigating the Venture back to New York, stealing a few kisses in between. "Roberts and Martinez are probably quite tired.

"Neither of them are Hayes. I don't give a damn about them. I care about you and like this"

"I'm not going to leave you at the wheelhouse, and that's what you said about Carl and look where that got you" Elle smirked.

"It was Baxter who convinced me, and I gave a damn about you, not Carl."

Elle hugged him. "You can fake being mad at me, but I can't be mad at you, even acting"

"I have that affect on people. Onto the wheelhouse" he nodded at the door.

"Oh, now that you won we're going?"

"Yes"

Elle led the way out of the room. "Come On" she ordered, climbing the stairs, accidentally losing her footing.

Dustin bolted forward, picking her up and carrying her up the rest of the stairs. "You deserved that" he announced.

"No I didn't, and once again, thanks Rhett"

"Who IS that?" Dustin demanded. "That's the second time you've called me that and it's getting annoying" he put her down as they reached the top.

"Only after two times?" Elle smirked. "You're not fun"

"I was raised in war times and fought in one with your father. No, I'm not fun. I was raised avoiding it. Martinez, Roberts. You're dismissed" he nodded at the two sailors who left.

"Well at least your crew still follows your orders"

Dustin snorted. "Crew? What crew? I barely have fifteen men left" he half expected Lumpy to pop up out of nowhere and say the exact number of the crew remaining, and e was slightly upset when he didn't. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed the cook the most besides Hayes.

"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, Bruce, Ann, Jack, Carl, Preston and I are part of your crew too. I'm not saying forget the ones you lost, but we're here for you just as much as they were"

Dustin smiled, pulling her against him and kissing her forehead. "You have a way with words, you know that?"

"I've been told that before"

Dustin smiled and shook his head. "Set speed full ahead"

"Yes captain"

"What did I tell you about calling me that?"

"I just announced that we were apart of your crew, so you're captain. Don't like it? To bad"

Dustin sighed. "If you must."

Elle smiled before setting the said speed. It seemed a bit too soon to judge in her opinion, but she had the feeling that she was looking right at the one for her. The man that would be the guy for her.

Jimmy came into the wheelhouse. "Captain, the city's just on the horizon"

The captain nodded.

Jimmy looked between the two adults again, trying not to smile. This was just too much. _If those two don't stay together when they get back, I'm hunting them down and forcing them to be together._ Once again, on that thought, he left with a smirk.

"What was that about?" Dustin looked at the door.

Elle shrugged. "With Jimmy, the world may never know"

l rl


	16. The Eighth Wonder of the World

**Ugh. Back from my 'short' yet god awful trip and I come back to nonstop rain. Oh goodie. Anyway, here's the next chapter, and don't complain that I brought Jack into the auditorium early, please? I got enough complaints about that from a friend of mine, so… ahem, anyway:**

**Lady Lithoniel: It's not quite over. After this end chap there's gonna be a sequel. I actually love this fic too much to drop it yet. Glad you like it. **

**That last sentence goes to all the other people who reviewed.**

**Alright, movin' on.**

Elle sighed as she walked down the well-lit New York City street that led to the theater an audience would be filling shortly to see Carl and 'King Kong'. This was just about the only peace she got in the three months that it had been since she had returned, and unfortunately Dustin wasn't around for two of them since he had to sail with a group hunting down lions in Africa. She now looked up at the theater since she had reached it and scoffed. Dustin had been right. It seemed like Carl didn't care so many people had lost their lives on the voyage. She glanced at the huge King Kong poster in the window, frowning at two sentences in it.

_**See Ann Darrow offered to "The Beast" and "Witness the real reuniting of the damsel who had been in distress and her hero, Bruce Baxter.**_

Her scoff turned into a real laugh. He was even lying about 'the hero' to get a crowd. She went to walk away, but once again, curiosity got the better of her and she looked at the poster, looking for information on admission. She stopped when she heard a voice.

"I would never expect you to be here, even checking on that, mam. That's not quite in your character."

Elle sighed. She expected someone to recognize her, which was why she didn't want to go in the first place. _Go figure_. She turned to the voice. "Listen pal, I don't know you, you don't know me, so what gives you the ri-" she got a better look at the man. He wore a tattered white hat, brown shirt and tan pants, held up with two belts sung over his hips. She mentally kicked herself for not recognizing him. "DUSTIN!" she yelled happily, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

He smiled. "Hello Elle" he greeted, putting his arms around her waist.

"Sorry I just yelled at you- but what're you doing here? You said you were going to be gone for two more weeks!" Elle pointed out.

"We had to turn back. The men were fools. One got sick and instead of braving it, they had me turn back,"

"Remind me to hunt him down and thank him" Elle smiled.

Dustin looked at the theater. "So what are you doing out here and not inside with your brother?"

"You really think I'm going to support him with this?"

A reporter turned. "Miss, are you really related to Carl Denham? How?"

"Ugh!" Elle grabbed Dustin by the collar and dragged him a few feet away, surprised the reporter and a few others hadn't followed her. "If you do think that, you're insane," she continued.

Dustin smirked. "You're curious" he accused.

"What? Me? No."

Dustin tilted his head. "Elle…"

Elle sighed. That look always got to her. "Fine. Very. Happy?"

"Yes" he nodded.

"Well you can't accuse me of being curious, then act like you're not" she smirked and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Because I'm not. I don't want anything having to do with what cost so many of my crew their lives," he smirked right back.

Elle pretended to pout. "Don't lie,"

"I'm not"

"Yes you are,"

"You're wrong,"

"Dusty" Elle smirked evilly.

Dustin sighed "I told you not to call me that"

"Yeah, same thing with Captain, or Englehorn… Captain Englehorn, take your pick. I know you're lying" Elle shrugged.

"What does it matter? You're not getting me through those doors. I know you too well to not think that you're going to try and get in" Dustin told her.

"Good. So you ARE curious" Elle grinned.

"I never said that," he pointed out.

"But you implied it and that's good enough for me," Elle smiled, grabbing his hand and dragging him back towards the theatre.

"Elle are you sure we're not going to get anywhere because of me? This place seems to have nothing but upper class and well, I'm- well, look at me. I've been sailing for two months and I'm covered in dirt" he looked around at several of the well-dressed people around him.

A few of the people looked back at him in disgust, as if agreeing with him.

"So you're a bit dirty. Nothing else. Classes don't matter" Elle replied.

"Are you certain?" Dustin asked.

Elle laughed. "Oh please, you're with me. These guys are worse than Bruce."

"Meaning?"

"_I'm_ your pass. Hello James" she waved at one of the men checking tickets.

"Ah, Ellie. Hi." James smiled.

Elle tried not to turn around and punch him for using the nickname he had heard Bruce call her.

"This your fella' here?" James looked at Dustin.

"Yes he is" Elle smiled.

"Enjoy the show- heck, go backstage, see your brother," James nodded.

"Will do, Jimmy boy" Elle replied, pausing for a moment to remember Jimmy, who she hadn't seen since they returned, since he had left the Venture. He had decided to honor Hayes' last wish for him and get off the ship. "C'mon," she led Dustin up the stairs, bumping into someone in the process. "Oh I'm sor- Jack?"

Sure enough it was the said man. "Elle? What're you doing here? Why aren't you with Carl?"

"You really have to ask?" Elle frowned. "I should ask you. Carl practically ruined your life, why are you here?"

"I just can't believe Ann's going through with this" Jack replied, then looked at Dustin. "Wait a second you're a blonde, Englehorn?"

Dustin nodded.

Jack blinked in surprise before smiling. "Just didn't expect to see you with that light hair. Must've been really soaked when I saw you without your hat on. Anyway, how are you?" he shook the other man's hand. He hadn't seen Dustin in a while, compared to Ann, who had seen him recently because she had several project to work on after returning, and most of them had hired Dustin to sail them to their destination. Ann was pretty much the only one he spoke to throughout the trips. He turned back to the stage when music started and Carl walked to the center, followed by the sound of applause.

Carl grinned back at the audience. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here to tell you a very strange story ... a story of our adventure in which seventeen of our party suffered horrible deaths- and I am sad to say one was my sister, yes, I know. Horrible loss" he said as the crowd started 'Aww'ing in sadness for him.

"WHAT?!" Elle growled. "That's it he's-" she turned towards the stairs, but Dustin and Jack grabbed the arm closest to them and dragged her back.

"Just give him a chance. I'm trying" Jack muttered.

"Chance? He just told the audience I was dead, you idiot!"

"Just… just relax," Jack said.

Elle whacked her friend upside the head before turning back to the stage and Carl talking.

"…Their lives lost in pursuit of a savage Beast, a monstrous aberration of nature! But even the meanest brute can be tamed. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, as you will see, the Beast was no match for the charms of a girl - a girl from New York ... who melted his heart. Bringing to mind that old Arabian proverb 'And lo the Beast looked upon the face of Beauty and Beauty stayed his hand... and from that day forward he was as one dead' ... and now Ladies & Gentlemen, I'm going to show you the greatest thing your eyes have ever beheld. He was a King in the world he knew but he comes to you now ... a captive… Ladies and gentlemen: I give you Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World!" Carl stepped aside and motioned behind him.

The music started up again as the curtains separated, revealing Kong.

"Oh God, why'd he have to do this?" Elle muttered.

Jack smirked, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I don't even think God knows when it comes to your brother, Elle"

Elle shook her head in agreement.

The gathered crowd gasped.

"These people are insane," Dustin shook his head.

Jack looked at him. "Sorry, but uh… what took ya so long to figure that out?"

Dustin raised his eyebrows. "Driscoll, I have no idea"

Carl continued. "Don't be alarmed, ladies and gentlemen. It is perfectly safe. These chains are made of chrome steel!"

The audience applauded now.

"C'mon people, you really believe that?" she looked around.

A few people looked back at her.

Jack and Dustin laughed nervously before dragging Elle off to another spot.

"You never shut up when it comes to your brother's mistakes, do ya?" Jack asked.

"Nope" Elle shook her head.

"Well, you better start," the two men with her said simultaneously.

She glared at them before continuing to listen to Carl, still sounding proud.

"Observe if you will, I am touching the beast! I am actually laying my hand on the twenty-five foot gorilla.

A few seconds later Carl had gotten someone to raise the chains around Kong and pull it upright, showing its full size.

Jack sighed. "C'mon" he started walking down one of the aisles followed by the other two.

Carl continued yet again. "We have in the auditorium tonight, a surprise guest. The real life hero of this story ... the man who hunted down the mighty Kong!"

Jack froze, looking back at the stage, then at Carl, noticing it looked as if Carl was looking right back at him. "Great" he muttered.

"Don't worry, its not you. He's lying again," Elle shrugged.

"What?" Jack asked.

Elle pointed at the stage, seeing Bruce come to the edge of the wings, ready to come out when Carl signaled for him to do so.

Carl took in a breath. "The man who risked all to win the freedom of a helpless female! A big hand for ... Mr. Bruce Baxter!"

Bruce trotted onstage, smiling and waving at the audience.

"Oh god," Elle muttered again, surprised this time she was joined by Jack and Dustin. They were too busy looking at the 'natives' that had just come onto the stage and started dancing to hear what Carl had to say.

"He was right,"

The three turned to see Preston next to them.

Preston looked at them. "... About there still being some mystery left in this world" he continued, then looked at Dustin. "Wait, you're a blonde?"

Dustin let out an irritated sigh. "Yes. Now go on with what you were going to say,"

Preston nodded, then looked at Jack. "He said we can all have a piece of it ...for the price of an admission ticket… look where that got us"

Jack looked back at Preston. "That's the thing you come to learn about Carl ... his unfailing ability to destroy the things he loves… and Elle here's experienced it all,"

"Not all of it. I'd be dead if I experienced all of it," Elle sighed.

"Well, you nearly did die thanks to this," Jack motioned at the stage, not hearing one word Carl was saying until three stood out: Miss Ann Darrow. Jack turned to the stage, shocked. Elle followed suit.

"What? No! She couldn't!" Jack said in disbelief. He turned to Elle. "Could she?"

Elle had an identical look of disbelief. "No. She could, but she wouldn't. She cared about that ape, she wouldn't. I can't believe she would," she jumped slightly when Kong roared, looking quite angry.

Ann started trying to free herself. "No! No! Help me, no!"

"That's not her!" Jack exclaimed.

"No. It's not. I told you she wouldn't go through with it," Elle turned to Preston when Jack stepped towards him.

"Where is she?" he demanded. "Where's Ann?"

Preston shook his head. "I've no idea. I heard he offered her all kinds of money and she turned him down flat." Preston explained.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. That sounds more like her." He looked back at Kong, the hope that he had just had gone when he saw the anger in 'the beast's' eyes growing. "We have get these people out of here," he said.

The three nodded.

Preston turned to try and get other audience members out of the theatre.

Jack walked down a couple of rows. "Everyone has to leave. Head for the exits"

"Get your own seat Buddy - you aren't having mine." One of the audience members said.

Elle sighed. "Sir, you don't know what this thing can do," she pointed at Kong.

"Of course I do, and it looks well contained" the man replied.

"It's not!" Elle snapped. "That thing can bring down rock formations easy, withstand machine guns, kill people in a mere second. No sir, you DON'T know what you're dealing with" Elle growled.

"Well, ho would you know?" the man demanded.

"All three of us here were with Carl. I'm Elle Denham! His sister! His sister who he lied about being well- alive, look at me! I'm fine. This guy was the captain of the ship that brought us to the island, and this guy is who Baxter's pretending to be" she explained, pointing at Dustin and Jack.

"Like I'm going to believe you," the man looked back at Kong.

Preston came up to them. "Uh, guys, we have a problem,"

"What?"

Preston pointed at Kong, who was now breaking out of his chains.

The man who had challenged Elle's jaw dropped.

"Now do you believe me?" Elle yelled.

The man just ran away.

"I'll take that as a yes," Elle nodded.

After about two minutes Dustin, Elle and Jack were the only ones remaining in the theater since Preston had run off to help the audience exit.

Kong started running around the whole bottom level until he froze, looking right at Jack.

"Uh, Jack? Time to go. He recognizes you,"

"Got that right," Jack nodded.

The three turned and ran, hearing Kong a short distance away, finally succeeding in getting out and onto the city streets.

The wall behind them exploded due to Kong coming through it, finding that they had nowhere to go for a short time, which was going to cause a problem since Kong had already crashed through the theater wall.

**Okay, I lied. One more chapter of this fic remains before the sequel. Luckily, because of this stupid rain I have quite a bit of time on my hands, so both things should be up today, and I hope that thing with Englehorn and 'You're a blonde?' didn't ignore you. I own the extended edition of King Kong, so my friends and I were watching the bonus features, and each one of my friends said 'Wait- he's a blonde?' at one of the features he was in, so I couldn't resist but put it in- It's going to continue a bit in the sequel, too.**


	17. Empire State Building

Kong passed the three friends.

"We gotta follow it" Jack said.

"What?" Elle turned to him.

"He's gonna be looking for Ann, and I don't want anything to happen to her" Jack replied.

Dustin and Elle looked at each other before looking at Jack again. "Then let's go follow that ape"

The three of them made their way through the crowd of yelling people until they finally saw it.

"Oh Jesus" Jack muttered, watching Kong head down Broadway. He spotted a cab. "My money's on using that"

"You really think that a guy that looks horrified of Kong is gonna help us get to it?"

"We can hope, can't we?" Jack frowned. "Hey, Englehorn. What do you think?"

"I think if you want to get that thing, you better make a decision fast or we're going to lose it"

"Thanks for the input" Jack frowned.

Dustin smirked and nodded, happy that he had now officially annoyed every person that had been on the voyage to Skull Island. He felt that he needed to do it to 'repay' them for ruining a good amount of time he would never get back- besides the part of meeting Elle.

"Ugh, c'mon" Jack ran over to the cab. "Follow that ape!" he ordered when all three were inside.

"It's all yours, Buddy!" the cabbie ran off.

Jack moved to the driver's seat and stomped on the gas petal, heading after Kong.

Dustin and Elle gripped the side of the cab's doors when Jack started swerving around pieces of rubble that all of them guessed was the result of Kong doing damage, then wincing when the cab accelerated, going right under the giant ape.

"I'm starting to get seconds thoughts about this" Elle announced.

"You weren't for it in the first place" Jack replied, spinning the cab so they were now facing Kong.

"And now you see why" Elle replied, looking uneasily at Kong who now saw them.

"Okay, you win, time to go" Jack said, trying to open the door. "Oh god. No. No no no"

"What?"

"Door's not working. Hold on"

"Why?"

"This" Jack slammed his foot down on the gas petal, but this time it was in reverse.

"Gah!" Elle and Dustin lurched forward at the change of direction.

They crossed an intersection, driving on the sidewalks, going into a small alley where Kong couldn't follow.

"We lost him" Jack sighed in relief.

"Not for long" Elle said.

"Why do you say that?" Jack frowned.

"We were at Skull Island with things having to do with that phrase every second and you still ask?" Elle frowned.

"Good point" Jack nodded the same time that Kong jumped in front of the cab.

Elle sighed. "Well this just keeps getting better" she and Dustin rammed heads when Jack took yet another sharp turn, this time hitting a fruit stand, then a building, knocking Jack out.

"Jack! No! Damn it, wake up! Dustin, help me out!"

"He's out cold! You can't do anything!"

"Well, then we're dead because Kong's coming" Elle replied, pointing out the windshield.

Sure enough Kong was coming at them.

Dustin swallowed hard, and then noticed Kong turn to see something else. "What's it doing?"

Elle glanced past the ape. "Oh my god"

"What is it?"

"It's Ann. She's here. That's what he's looking at"

"What? What if-"

"He's not going to hurt her. I can tell you that much." Elle watched as Kong just looked at Ann and Ann looked back at him, happiness in her eyes. After what seemed like hours Kong picked Ann up gently and walked away.

"So now what?" Dustin asked.

Elle sighed, leaning against him. "We wait" she looked at Jack who still wasn't budging.

A couple of hours later, however, he did.

"Ugh, my head" Jack winced.

"Welcome back to Earth" Elle said sarcastically.

"Kong! Ann!" Jack snapped wide awake.

"He took her a while ago. He isn't going to hurt her, Jack, don't worry"

"Yeah, but what about them?" Jack pointed at a number of military vechiles that had just passed.

"Possibly"

"We gotta find them," Jack said. He turned to his door again, relieved it opned this time, the three got out of the cab, and Jack instantly started running after the military vechiles.

Dustin sighed. "He doesn't give up, does he?"

"No, but you learn to love that in him" the two ran after Jack.

After a few minutes of hearing gunfire from both machine guns and the fighter planes overhead, the three came to find themselves in front of the empire state building.

"Okay, now there's a problem with where she is" Elle pointed out.

Jack looked around before pushing through the gathered crowd of people and soldiers.

Elle threw her arms up before following him, Dustin behind her.

"Hey, you can't go in there!" one of the soldiers yelled.

"Hey, Elle, Englehorn?"

"What?"

"Time to run" Jack said, just missing a soldier who had tried grabbing him before running into the building.

Elle sighed. "He's gonna get us all killed someday" she ran after him.

"Get in the elevator!" Jack yelled, dodging another soldier.

Dustin turned, punching the soldier out.

Jack stared at the now unconscious man, then back at Dustin. "Thank god you're on our side"

"Shut up, close the doors and get up there!"

"What about-"

"We'll get these guys off your back, go!" Elle replied, turning back to the other soldiers as the elevator doors closed.

"You two. Hands up! Where's you friend?" one demanded.

Dustin and Elle raised their hands.

"Any of these guys your pals from the war?" Elle muttered.

"I highly doubt that if I had friends here they'd be pointing machine guns at us like all of them are" Dustin replied.

"I said where's your friend?" another soldier demanded.

"On his way up. Can't stop him now" Elle shrugged.

"Yeah, but at least we stopped you two"

"Us? What did we do? You guys should be worried about the giant ape on the side of this building. Not us"

"If you haven't noticed, the planes are taking care of that" the soldier replied. "Now, what are your full names? Middle name included. The girl first"

"Ellen Mary Denham-"

"Wait. Carl Denham's sister?"

"Yes"

"But Denham said his sister was dead during the premiere of this thing"

"He also said that no one should worry and Kong wouldn't escape" Elle growled.

"Hm. Fine. And you, sir?"

"Dustin Hans Englehorn"

"Hm… that tattoo on your arm, you were part of a regiment in world war one. Any rank?"

"No. Just private. Her father held the rank" he nodded at Elle.

"Carl Denham's father was in World War 1?"

"Yes, our father was in the war" Elle nodded.

"Hm" the soldier nodded again.

Elle looked outside to see Carl coming towards the gathered crowd. "CARL!"

Carl looked around before he saw them, then he ran inside the building. "Elle! Englehorn!" he walked over to them, looking at Dustin again. "You're a blonde?"

Dustin groaned and glared at him.

"Wait a minute- you know these two, Mr. Denham?"

"Yeah, but I don't know you. You are?"

"Commander Alexander Richards of the U.S Army. I'd just like to say, sir, I'm a big fan"

Elle rolled her eyes. If this was today's military, she'd hate to see what it would become in the future.

"Yeaahhh, great. Wonderful. Now might I ask what my sister and her fiancée are doing here, heavily guarded?"

Dustin and Elle went wide eyes and coughed. _Fiancée? Where'd that come from? We aren't engaged. _

"Oh so this really IS your sister" Alexander said.

"Right. Would I lie?" Carl asked.

"Yes" Elle coughed.

Carl glared at her.

"Look, I'm sorry about this confusion, people" Alexander looked at Dustin and Elle.

"Right. Sure" they nodded, not too happy.

A large shadow was seen on one of the opposite walls.

"What was that?" Alexander demanded.

Dustin spotted something in one of the windows on the front side of the building. "Get down!" ye yelled, realizing it was Kong falling.

Everyone obeyed until they heard a loud crash followed by glass breaking and a huge gasp from the crowd who had only moved a few feet.

"What the?" Elle opened her eyes to look into blue ones. The same blue eyes she had looked into when she woke up from the natives knocking her out. Dustin's eyes.

He helped her up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just hope Ann is" she followed the crowd that was exiting the building to see what happened. She frowned, seeing Kong dead on the ground.

Reporters started swarming around the body.

Carl came beside Elle, staring at the scene in front of them, not sure what to think.

A photographer looked up at the Empire State building.** "**Why'd he do that? Climb up there and get himself cornered? The ape musta' known what was comin'.

"It's just a dumb animal - it didn't know nothin'" another photographer said.

Dustin and Elle exchanged looks, both thinking the opposite from the second photographer.

The photographer continued. "What does it matter? The airplanes got him."

"It wasn't the airplanes ..." Carl murmured.

Everyone turned to him, waiting for what he had to say.

"... It was beauty killed the beast." Carl continued before turning and walking away.

Dustin looked over at Elle. "Are you alright, Elle?"

"What? Oh. I'm fine. I'm just surprised it ended like that, you know? I mean, after all of this, it's really over" she put her arms around him, resting her chin on his chest, looking up at him.

"Yes Elle. I can't either. It really is over" he hugged her.

However, both of them had no clue how wrong they were, and in three years there would be even more danger at Skull Island- with a trip back to it included.

**Hehehehe how's THAT for a closing of the first installment and the very small prologue to the sequel, huh? Well, that closes Who the Director Brought, the sequel is Return to Skull Island, and it'll be up shortly. Thank you to all the people who read and reviewed as well. **


End file.
